Taking Action in Your Watershed
Taking Action in Your Watershed
Organizing River Cleanups
River cleanups improve the water quality of a river or stream, but they do much more than that. Cleanups are also a great way to develop a sense of “river community,” identify negative impacts to the waterway and educate participants about the values of watersheds for recreation, fish and wildlife habitat.
Cleanups do this most effectively when they involve and inspire the entire community reaching out beyond existing river enthusiasts to create new “river allies” in the community. This newly found river and watershed awareness can translate into increased support for your organization’s future river protection projects.
Creating a Water Trail
A water trail is a route along a river or across other bodies of water such as a lake for people using small boats like kayaks and canoes. Creating a water trail can help your organization establish a presence in your community that can be helpful when you fight for river protection in the future.
A water trail is a great way for your organization to connect with organizations protecting neighboring riverways or in the same watershed—even connect with groups that share your common interest in natural resource protection and enjoyment of the outdoors, such as cycling groups.