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Tri-County/City Soil & Water Conservation District . . . . . providing grassroots solutions to conserve natural resources |
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Adopt-A-Stream
What is Adopt-a-Stream?
It’s a program made up of a
network of similarly concerned people and empowers them to share the
workload to clean and protect local waterways.
Adopt-A-Stream is being coordinated
in this area by Tri-County/City Soil and Water Conservation District,
and the District invites local groups to join other Virginia citizens in
cleaning and protecting our waterways by participating in the Department
of Conservation and Recreation's Adopt-A-Stream program.
It's up to each of us to keep
Virginia's rivers, streams, lakes and bays clean.
That's the idea behind DCR's Adopt-A-Stream program (AAS).
Who Can Participate?
Anyone who is concerned about water
quality! Volunteers may include: individuals, families, schools and
student organizations, youth and church groups, scout troops, civic
organizations, watershed associations, homeowners’ associations, local
businesses and industries. The organized waterway cleanups provide a
chance for all to work together or separately to do their part.
We need to get our hands a little
dirty to truly learn about nature. Waterway cleanups provide that
prospective. A few hours collecting litter from a local shoreline
establishes a link between citizens, community waterways and their
watersheds. Participants see firsthand how their cleanup work improves a
waterway's quality and appearance. They feel good about their work as
they become a caretaker of a local waterway and assume a watershed-based
stewardship ethic.
By signing up for DCR's voluntary,
do-it-yourself Adopt-A-Stream program, a group agrees to at least one,
preferably two, cleanups per year for at least two years. The minimum
length of shoreline a group can adopt is one-quarter mile. A team of two
individuals typically covers a mile of lightly littered shoreline in an
hour or two. Many groups opt for two cleanups a year ... one in the
spring and another in the fall. DCR helps by providing trash bags,
gloves, safety vests, and instructional and promotional documents. DCR
also gives each group custom signage featuring the adopted waterway and
organization.
What’s in it For You?
You can PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK for
helping to protect and improve the water quality of our local streams
and rivers. By adopting a section of stream or river, you are improving
one of Tri-County/City area’s greatest natural resources. To learn more or to arrange a presentation for your group, contact Katie Wallet at 540-899-9492 ext. 3 or e-mail Katie Wallet for more information. Please note help publication links at left.
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