Locals are working to clean up the New River, but there are plenty of other bodies of water that need support, too.
Boy Scouts are all about practicing stewardship and acting as role models in their communities. So, who would be better to lead the movement to help local watersheds stay clean and healthy?
Don’t live near a river? No problem, because everyone lives in a watershed.
If you need a little inspiration, the “Lower New River State of the Watershed” report was released this summer and explains everything you need to know to keep the New River clean. It can even be used as source to get you started in your hometown.
How You Can Help
Below are the Lower New River watershed recommendations. While these 3 solutions may not be the perfect solutions for your local watershed, they can be a great place to get started.
- Community Support — Tell your elected officials that you want clean water and encourage others to support clean water as well.
- Infrastructure — Leaky sewers? Figure out which ones are deteriorated and try to raise some money to get them replaced or fixed.
- Alternatives — Simply, think green and be environmentally friendly. Just because it’s the way it is doesn’t mean it’s the way it has to be.
Get Out There
If you live near a creek, stream, river, lake or ocean, start asking questions.
Learn about your local environment and possible pollutants that could be problems. Simply put, just find what’s out there.
“Monitoring is really important. It’s the citizens that really know what’s happening locally in their watershed,” said Jennifer DuPree, the southern basin coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. “Whether you’re a student, an adult or a retired citizen, just get aware and care for your environment.”
But, George Santucci from the National Committee for the New River puts it best.
“If you know what the problems are, then you can be part of the solution,” Santucci said.