Heroes of Conservation: 2009 FINALIST

William Edwards, The Grass-Roots Leader
Oden, Ark. High school principal

Former student and president of Oden High School's Woods and Waters conservation club, William Edwards is the guiding hand of that group, which includes 25 percent of the student body. Their projects include maintaining a nature trail, monitoring water quality on the Ouachita River, and removing trash along a highway.

You won't find Oden on every road map of Arkansas. With a population of fewer than 500 people, it's a speck along State Route 88, west of Little Rock. It's the type of place where the land is part of the residents' DNA—the type of place where the conservation movement in this country got started.

"This is a community of loggers, farmers, and ranchers," says Edwards. "We depend upon this land, and our livelihood depends on us taking care of it. Everyone here is conscious of the environment."

Edwards, 31, was a member of the Woods and Waters club throughout high school; when he became principal of Oden High, he took over its sponsorship.

"We focus on outdoor recreation and community service," he says. "One of our projects has been restoring the Serendipity Trail in the Ouachita National Forest. We've put up informational signs, cleaned up the trail, cleared out areas and planted natural grasses, and rebuilt a footbridge." Funding for this project came from a state grant. "But most of the time, people donate money. Bill Lewis, Yamamoto, Gremlin—a lot of outdoor companies have heard about us and have helped us out too. We also work with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. They do an excellent job of getting into the schools and being involved in education."

The Woods and Waters club maintains a rifle range (club members all take hunter-education courses) and also raises catfish in ponds on the school's campus, then stocks them in area waters. The students organize fishing derbies at nearby North Fork Lake.

"It's a great, secluded place for us to have our tournaments. One thing I'd like to do in the future is partner with Game and Fish and have our kids study the lake's fish population.

"I always tell the kids it's about giving back."

See Previous Heroes from:

Finalists Gale Dupree John Walther Bob Capron Nancy Craft Gordon and Terri Southwick Les Monostory Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Howard Kern William Edwards Derek Fong Billy Sandifer Mark Taylor Jon Hillmer Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Hod Kosman Chad Pregracke Andy Batcho Jim Tripp and Sandra Millan-Tripp Dale Rollins Charles Lane Previous Months November September August July June May April March February	Finalists Brian Maguire Joan Vernon Philip Babe Harlan Kredit Chris Scalley Robert Miles Previous Months November September August July June May April March February
Finalists Paul Morrow Jim Cummins Jeff Olson Ronnie Luster Steve Simmons Chris Tompkins Previous Months September August July June May April March February January