Spring Creek Coalition
The Spring Creek Coalition (SCC) is a non-profit organization comprised of private landowners, residents and supporters. It is the mission of Spring Creek Coalition to unite as citizens and actively engage in the preservation of the Spring Creek Watershed.History: 1995-2006
From 1995-2006, Spring Creek Coalition was a growing, vital organization. SCC reached out to local schools, held informational meetings, had field days and more. During that time, SCC had several major accomplishments, including:
- Being awarded "Conservation Organization" for 1995 by the Oklahoma Wildlife Federation;
- Collaborating with Grand River Dam Authority in recovering one of the largest wild cat dumps in Cherokee County; and
- Supporting a foreign species lawsuit that resulted in a 2006 court ruling against the introduction of non-native species such as trout into High quality Waters such as Spring Creek
If you would like to read about all the activities of this period, click here.
Current: 2009-Present
Spring Creek is rated a High Quality Water
SCC became inactive in 2003. In 2009, a small group of Spring Creek landowners and friends got together to revive SCC.
Our overall goal is to create a coalition of Spring Creek watershed landowners and friends we can call upon for current and future issues, and to work toward the SCC mission.
Coalition members come together to help clean up the creek
SCC serves as a clearing-house for the exchange of information about the creek. Coalition members and supporters have a central location they can go to to report problems or get information.
We keep everyone informed through this website and our quarterly newsletters.
Hardy souls plant trees on a cold morning in March 2010.
We hold events to benefit the creek and bring landowners together.
Each spring we plant black walnut, pine, persimmon and other trees to help stabilize the creek banks. Trees keep the water cool, filter nutrients, slow run-off and help prevent flooding. SCC has planted over 2,100 trees in the Spring Creek watershed.
Our Fall clean-ups along public access points to the creek have removed thousands of pounds of trash from the watershed.
Stream bank erosion is a serious problem along Spring Creek
SCC promotes ongoing education. We hand out pamphlets on best management practices at events. In our newsletters and on our website we address a variety of topics such as:
- a stream's struggle to balance flow with sedimentation
- how to protect stream banks from erosion
- Oklahoma's comprehensive water plan
- where to order inexpensive trees
- links to invasive plant and wild hog management ideas
- Spring Creek's unique diversity and pristine status
NSU students conduct an assessment of fish at the creek
Our Science Advisory Committee is a great resource for our efforts. It is made up of professors and teachers from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Tulsa Community College and other institutions as well as a representative from the Oklahoma Ecological Servies Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Professors regularly take advantage of Spring Creek to give their students hands-on field experience.
We are grateful to the students who have offered enthusiastic help in our tree plantings and other activities.
Piles of fly ash deposited for road repair at Twin Bridges
SCC has no regulatory authority, but we support individuals who foresee a threat to the integrity of the Spring Creek watershed.
Some of the group issues we have explored or are in the process of exploring include:
- The illegal use of fly ash by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to repair roads along the creek;
- Gravel extraction (legal) from creek beds and it's affect on upstream land;
- The pumping of water by the Peggs Water Company from a well along the banks of Spring Creek and its potential affect on the creek.
