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In Memoriam Passing of Jack Watkins

WesL

"Bill, I'm talkin' imminent rueage"
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Good afternoon everyone,

Last year when we lost Jack there was a feeling of loss among our TW family. Always the guardian and common sense-minded person, Jack was special to a lot of us and because of that we wanted to do something really special for his memorial weather station. Today, I am pleased to announce publically that the Jack Watkins Memorial Weather Station at Turpentine Creek is online and running. Knowing Jack as a guardian, we worked with a great not-for-profit organization, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR), to ensure that his station would not only provide amazing weather data in the foothills of the Ozarks but also would be a force for good for the staff and visitors of the sanctuary. That extra effort was enabled by purchasing a WeatherFlow Tempest weather station that offers all the weather data but also lightning detection. In the coming weeks, we will be rolling out a special feature to the staff at Turpentine Creek that will allow them to get immediate notification of nearby lightning strikes. Why is that so important you may ask... well let me introduce you to some of their residents.



Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) licensed, 509 (a) 2, as described in Section 501(c)(3), non-profit certified facility, dedicated to the rescue and care of unwanted, neglected, and abused exotic and native wildlife, focusing on Big Cats and bears. TCWR is regularly inspected by the USDA and houses an assortment of exotic and native animals, including lions, tigers, leopards, and other big cats as well as black bears, brown bears, and a variety of other animals. Animals are generally rescued from private owners who can no longer care for them, or they are confiscated by law enforcement authorities in cases of abuse and neglect and given a permanent home at TCWR. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is a legitimate sanctuary and does not buy, sell, trade, breed, or loan-out any animals. All residents are given a high level of care in a safe environment throughout the remainder of their lives. All animals are cared for by a permanent animal care staff of 7 biologists/zoologists, and a bi-annual intern staff of approximately 15-18 college/university graduates.

While their new homes at TCWR are wide open spaces, they are surrounded by large metal protective fences that protect not only the visitors and caretakers but the animals as well. Because of metal structures, lightning is a major concern and with the Jack Watkins Memorial Weather Station and TalkWeather's resources, we hope to ensure that staff and visitors are given ample time to take shelter from any approaching storms. From the weather data perspective, TCWR is also located in a pretty amazing spot near Eureka Springs, AR where the weather is always changing. From hail storms to snow and rain, this location will be fascinating to observe for years to come.

We are thankful to the staff at Turpentine Creek for helping put this together and will continue to work to enable them with tools and technology that our friend Jack would be proud of. We would also like to thank WeatherFlow for the generous discount on our Tempest units that we are deploying in our memorial weather station network, our TalkWeather sustaining members who make monthly contributions to the site, and our amazing community, moderators, and admins for enabling this work. You will always be able to find a link to the weather station by clicking Memorial Weather Stations in the nav bar at the top of each page on TalkWeather.

We have an additional memorial site that will be online in the next few days and we have already ordered the equipment to upgrade Perry Williams' weather station as well. Stay tuned for additional and if you want to help with our future efforts, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member of TalkWeather for $5 a month or considering purchasing your own WeatherFlow Temptest station using our affiliate link. TalkWeather dba Social Data Group, LLC receives a fee for each unit sold which will be used for site operations and special outreach efforts like these weather stations.


 

Lori

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It still doesn’t seem real, a year later. He was such a good man and good friend. I love that his memory lives on with this project!!
 

Havaheart66

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Happy 2nd Heavenly Birthday in heaven Jack. I am thankful to have crossed online paths with you & your beautiful bride. Noticed the hurricane weather has been so much calmer this year. Rest in peace I think of you & Ms.Bette every Christmas as I always received a card from y'all.
 

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