Ecosystems Exploration – Research, Conservation, and Protection

A compilation of the Grand River Dam Authority Ecosystems and Watershed Management Department’s 2021 efforts is now available in the Ecosystems Explorations, a 2021 annual review.

That report details the many programs, projects, and research performed and supported by the department in 2021.

When GRDA established its Office of Ecosystems Management in 2004, it did so knowing there was much work ahead.

After all, the Grand Lake watershed spans four states including Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma provides the waters for Grand Lake, Lake Hudson, and the W.R. Holway Reservoir, all managed by GRDA.

The underlying theme for the department has always been to build cooperative relationships across the watershed to help accomplish GRDA’s conservation and restoration goals.

The 2021 report outlines the many ways the department worked towards those goals during the year.

“The collaborative nature of the partnerships GRDA has formed with universities around Oklahoma, including the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University has saved GRDA ratepayers significant resources while also preparing the next generation of watershed management professionals,” said GRDA Vice President of Ecosystems and Watershed Management Dr. Darrell Townsend.

From ongoing water quality monitoring, conservation easement programs, the Guard the Grand program, fisheries enhancement, and other efforts, GRDA continues its efforts to be a good steward of the natural resources under its control.

Those resources also include the scenic waters of the Illinois River, which GRDA has managed since 2016.

Ecosystems Explorations can be viewed online under the Environmental Stewardship > Ecosystems Management tab on grda.com.

Hardcopies are also available to the public at no charge at the GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center in Langley or the Scenic Rivers Operations office in Tahlequah.  

GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5E’s: electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, employees, and efficiency.