The public is invited to attend the 2008 annual meeting of the Broad River Watershed Association on Saturday, September 13, at the Group Shelter of Watson's Mill Bridge State Park near Carlton in Madison County. The meeting agenda is below:

9:30 a.m. - Continental breakfast

10 a.m. - Business meeting (election of directors and Nominating Committee)

11 a.m. - Program: Watershed Restoration and Protection, Tony Able and Stacey Bouma, U.S. EPA

12:15 - lunch (provided)

Tony Able is a hydrogeologist with EPA's Watershed Management Office. Stacey Bouma is the Georgia Watershed Coordinator for EPA Region 4. They will discuss the use of monitoring, watershed assessment, community outreach, and local ordinances to protect and restore watersheds, and how these can help protect and preserve the water resources of the Broad River and its watershed.

The Broad River is one of the most important natural resources in Northeast Georgia and has been recognized by the Department of Community Affairs as a Regionally Important Resource. The Broad contains the largest stretch of relatively pristine, free-flowing (undammed) river remaining in northern Georgia. The health of the Broad River Watershed is critical to the economy of Northeast Georgia. The National Park Service, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia Natural Heritage Program have all noted the pristine character of the Broad River and its outstanding ecological and recreational importance to Northeast Georgia. Please join us at our annual meeting.

The Broad River Watershed Association is a regional, non-profit land trust created to preserve the Broad River as a free-flowing river system and to support land use compatible with the maintenance of water quality, scenic rural character, and the preservation of sensitive natural and historic areas and wildlife habitat. We invite everyone to attend our annual meeting and to listen to the presentations on stream monitoring and watershed planning, and to see how stream sampling is done. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call Sam Linhart at 706-783-2308.