Watershed Texas

Recently I had the opportunity to tell 115 young people about what  is most important to me in my work to support water quality and wetlands. The kids and their teachers had insightful questions. One of them was: What can kids do to make sure the water is healthy for us and the animals that depend on it?

Here’s what kids can do:

1. Pick up after your dog (and cat) and ask others not to leave pet poop lying around. Here’s why: The bacteria in pet poo washes off the ground, down into the storm drains, and right into the waterways. It’s the same bacteria that can make you sick, so when the bacteria levels are high in the water, beaches are closed and swimming is off limits. Most of the beach closures are due to fecal bacteria in the water . Here’s a fun video that makes this point, musically.

Students planting the wetlands at Sheldon Lake State Park

2. Volunteer! There are lots of events that you can take part in with your family and friends. This Saturday is Trash Bash, but in case you missed it, see what else is coming up by checking out the Citizen’s Environmental Coalition. Your scout group, school, temple or church can play a part too. Here’s a video about Girl Scouts who helped make a rain garden at Armand Bayou Nature Center, and here’s one on the floating wetlands at Clear Creek I.S.D.’s Education Village. Kid volunteers are so important to watershed projects like these.

3. Get your parents in on taking care of the watershed. You might not know it, but planting a tree together and setting up a rain barrel at home are ways to help water quality. The Center for Watershed* Protection has a list of things your parents can do, plus handy links to find out just how.

Everything we do to benefit our watershed has a ripple effect on water quality. With six million people in the Houston-Galveston metro area, if each one was aware of his or her actions and making smart choices for the watershed, the impact would be astonishing. This is especially true for young people, who learn quickly and can pass along their knowledge for decades.

* What is a watershed? It’s the area of land that drains into a body of water like a ditch, bayou, lake or bay. Most of us around here drink and use water that flowed through watersheds leading to Lake Livingston, Lake Conroe and Lake Houston. Rainwater and wastewater flowing from our homes is also in a watershed, ultimately heading to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Every waterway has millions of plants and animals, not just humans, that depend on it for food, water, and shelter. So getting it in tip top shape is important.

Everyone can take care of their watershed, no matter what their age. Thanks for helping out!