Protect Our Watershed

Ten things you can do to make a difference:

1. Enter the international “River of Words” poetry and art contest. The contest, open to youth between the ages of 5 to 19, invites children to explore and interpret their local watershed through the arts. To obtain an entry form or more information, contact River of Words, P.O. Box 4000-J, Berkeley, CA 94704, telephone 510.548.POEM or download an entry form at http://www.riverofwords.org.
      
2. Do a display or presentation on groundwater and how pollutants threaten its purity. Show where your drinking water comes from. Students can check their family water utility bill or visit EPA’s web page at http://www.epa.gov/ow/states.html. Click on the map and link to information about local drinking water.
      
3. Share your knowledge of water pollution with younger children, perhaps a kindergarten or first grade class. Consider doing a presentation about your local watershed. Discuss threats to its health (e.g. pollution or habitat loss). Highlight things that students and their families can do to protect water quality. Find your watershed at http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm.
     
4. Create a wildlife habitat or another conservation project in your school. Visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/ to download a free backyard conservation booklet that outlines 10 conservation activities. Or consider joining the National Wildlife Federations schoolyard habitat program and receive a certificate and sign for your school project.
     
5. Find a watershed group in your community and volunteer to help with a project (e.g. tree planting, habitat restoration project.) Download our Volunteer Opportunities list to search for an organization in your watershed. Check out EPA’s Five Star Wetlands Restoration Program (http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star/index.html) which offers opportunities for youth groups to get involved in wetland restoration projects.
     
6. Work with your school and your local government to organize or join in a stream, wetland, or beach clean up. Consider participating in the annual International Coastal Cleanup sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy held the third Saturday every September.  Visit www.cleanacreek.org for more information.
    
7. Find out what a different plants and animals live in your watershed. How many kinds of wildlife can you identify (e.g. crabs, oysters, waterfowl, and fish)?
     
8. Visit a local wastewater treatment or water filtration plant to see how wastewater is treated or drinking water is purified. Look at the treated water as it is being discharged into your river, stream, or estuary.
     
9. Identify two people working in water resource protection and invite them to come and speak to your school or club.
     
10. Work with your school to organize a Storm Drain Stenciling Project in your neighborhood. Produce and distribute a flyer or door hanger for local households to make them aware of your project and to remind them that storm drains dump directly into your local water body.
      

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Safety First!
Any activities on or near the water should be carefully supervised by adults, and safety tips need to be explained. Please check with your school and be sure to follow all appropriate safety procedures and policies.