PINEVILLE, Mo., May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Efforts to protect water
quality in a watershed that serves parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas
are receiving the financial support of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN).
The company has made a commitment to donate $60,000 to the Elk River
Watershed Improvement Association (ERWIA). The money will help the non-profit
group design an improvement and management plan for the entire basin, which
drains 870 square miles in northeast Oklahoma, southwest Missouri and
northwest Arkansas. Tyson Foods officials made the announcement Saturday at
the Association's Annual Earth Day Celebration and Water Festival.
"We're proud to support this group's efforts to protect the watershed,
which is important to the thousands of people who live in the region, as well
as others who come here to enjoy the waterways that are part of it," said
Kevin Igli, chief environmental officer of Tyson Foods. "Our donation is also
consistent with Tyson's Core Values, which call on us to serve as 'stewards'
of the environment."
"We're thankful for Tyson's donation as well as the help the company's
Noel poultry complex has provided since our group was formed two years ago,"
said Joseph Pease, president of ERWIA and an environmental manager for Tyson
Foods. "Our Association is made up of people from various walks of life that
share a love of the environment. Donations, such as the one provided by
Tyson, are essential to our plans to take a pro-active, scientific approach to
protecting the area's waterways."
The Association has been working in cooperation with the U.S. Geological
Survey, which is using gauges to measure water quality and quantity at five
watershed locations. These mechanical devices help track nutrients, bacteria,
sediments and pollutants. The information collected is being used by the
Association to identify environmental problems in the basin and subsequently
work cooperatively with point and non-point sources to implement ways to
correct them.
The Elk River Basin, which covers 483,000 acres in Missouri alone,
includes Indian Creek, Little Sugar Creek, Big Sugar Creek, Buffalo Creek, the
Elk River and their tributaries. The Elk River flows to the west, entering
Grand Lake of the Cherokees north of Grove, Oklahoma. Approximately 60,000
people reportedly live in the Elk River Basin.
Tyson Foods, Inc., founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale,
Arkansas, is the world's largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and
pork and the second-largest food company in the Fortune 500. The company
produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products, which are
marketed under the "Powered by Tyson(TM)" strategy. Tyson is the recognized
market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves, providing
products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than
80 countries. Tyson has approximately 114,000 Team Members employed at more
than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world.
SOURCE Tyson Foods, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.tyson.com
CONTACT:
Gary Mickelson of Tyson Foods, Inc.,
+1-479-290-6111
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