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  Sense of public ownership of urban waters »

  Clean-Up Festivals as an "On-Ramp" to Stewardship

  Clean-up events can be an accessible "on-ramp" to local stewardship of our urban waters. Clean-ups also build community and connect people to their local waters. Add educational and community booths, local talent (and food) and these events feel like a community celebration, fostering critical mass for stewardship. One volunteer ("the straw lady") -- struck by the astounding number of plastic straws she pulled out ...more »

  Clean-up events can be an accessible "on-ramp" to local stewardship of our urban waters. Clean-ups also build community and connect people to their local waters. Add educational and community booths, local talent (and food) and these events feel like a community celebration, fostering critical mass for stewardship. One volunteer ("the straw lady") -- struck by the astounding number of plastic straws she pulled out of the river -- felt compelled to change her use of disposables. Her experience drove home to her that there is no "away". Taking such action on trash in the water can lead to learning and caring about other, less visible water quality issues.

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  Submitted by Shah.Surabhi 1 year ago

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  Sense of public ownership of urban waters »

  Short Term Goals Can Be Used to Ignite Passion

  Communities can use one day events to create an interest or inspire residents to become involved in the cleanup of local waterways. For example, most communities will offer cleanup events with Earth Day or World Water Day. In fact, this year's World Water Day is themed "Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge" (http://www.worldwaterday2011.org/)." This can create a short term goal for those who are overwhelmed ...more »

  Communities can use one day events to create an interest or inspire residents to become involved in the cleanup of local waterways. For example, most communities will offer cleanup events with Earth Day or World Water Day. In fact, this year's World Water Day is themed "Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge" (http://www.worldwaterday2011.org/)." This can create a short term goal for those who are overwhelmed with water quality issues and don't know where to begin.

  Another great method for gaining community involvement is through the use of schools or universities. Often, there are student groups that are interested in starting a community activity but are unsure about taking the first steps in implementing an idea.

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  Submitted by Leslie Tomic 1 year ago

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  Sense of public ownership of urban waters »

  Twitter Hashtag (#) Campaign

  Organize a campaign for urban waters activists and enthusiasts to tweet information and pictures about their local urban waters using the hashtag #urbanwaters. A big enough effort could register that topic in twitter trends drawing even more attention the issues.

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  Submitted by Michael Gossenauer 1 year ago

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  Connection with urban waters »

  "Claim" local waters to spark interest

  "Claim" local waters on behalf of your community via location-based smartphone apps like Foursquare, Facebook Places, SCVNGR or others. Once a location is "claimed" (which can include leaving information about recreational opportunities or water impairment), visitors can "check in" to the site and help build visibility and leave comments about their experiences there. "Claiming" information for a few of these services: ...more »

  "Claim" local waters on behalf of your community via location-based smartphone apps like Foursquare, Facebook Places, SCVNGR or others. Once a location is "claimed" (which can include leaving information about recreational opportunities or water impairment), visitors can "check in" to the site and help build visibility and leave comments about their experiences there.

  "Claiming" information for a few of these services:

  Foursquare: http://j.mp/fzYUm0

  Facebook Places: http://j.mp/cBGvY1

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  Submitted by Steven Goldman 1 year ago

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  Rainwater Harvesting Projects at Urban Public Schools

  Public schools are great sites for rainwater harvesting projects. These projects benefit watershed protection goals in three ways: 1. Reduce storm water flows from the school sites by converting asphalt playgrounds into native and edible garden spaces. 2. Offset the use of potable water by capturing rainwater for irrigation to service the new gardens. 3. Educate students about the environment, storm water, and rainwater's ...more »

  Public schools are great sites for rainwater harvesting projects. These projects benefit watershed protection goals in three ways:

  1. Reduce storm water flows from the school sites by converting asphalt playgrounds into native and edible garden spaces.

  2. Offset the use of potable water by capturing rainwater for irrigation to service the new gardens.

  3. Educate students about the environment, storm water, and rainwater's potential as a resource.

  Miller Company Landscape Architects in San Francisco has been involved in creating rainwater harvesting projects at numerous public schools. You can find more information on our web site:

  http://millercomp.com/main.php?page=projects/schools/sfusdrainwater/index

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  Submitted by Community Member 5 months ago

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  Coordinate and Collaborate across Municipal Departments

  I suggest you make sure that both land use planners and stormwater managers are involved in utility and transportation master planning.

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  Submitted by kramer.melissa 1 year ago

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  Connection with urban waters »

  Urban Waters Geocaching

  Establishing Geocaches on urban rivers is a great way to connect folks who typically might not normally make a visit...check out logs of visits to two of our sites:

  http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9f3fbe3e-d268-418e-881b-9b40f3dbae06&log=y&decrypt=

  http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=ecca7a9e-31e0-45f1-9307-a7de6642a177&log=y&decrypt=

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  Submitted by Jeff Robichaud 1 year ago

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  Watershed Stewardship through the Arts

  The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network and a coalition of City,, campus and community groups - the Creek Coalition - are spearheading a three-year initiative to increase public support for protecting the water so essential for our collective future. A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF SIX MILE CREEK invites folks of all ages to celebrate live in under and around Six Mile Creek, one of the Lake's main tributaries, through photography, music, ...more »

  The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network and a coalition of City,, campus and community groups - the Creek Coalition - are spearheading a three-year initiative to increase public support for protecting the water so essential for our collective future. A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF SIX MILE CREEK invites folks of all ages to celebrate live in under and around Six Mile Creek, one of the Lake's main tributaries, through photography, music, dance, sculpture, sound-and-light, poetry and film. Former Cousteau and National Geographic film artist David O. Brown is working with Ithaca College film students and a local downtown youth film collective to document all activities, as a base for creating online modules weaving the arts together with watershed education. Even before the project's formal launch in early August other communities around the Lake are asking to join in - and we'd love to hear from others who have done or are interested in doing similar things.

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  Submitted by levelgreen2010 10 months ago

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  Connection with urban waters »

  Swimming Programs

  For several years, Water World Swim has been introducing people of all ages to swimming in the San Francisco Bay through open water swimming education at the Aquatic Park in San Francisco. This creates awareness of environmental issues and fosters a connection between the local waters and urban residents. There are many active and vibrant communities here that enjoy a love of the ocean and bay for recreation.

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  Submitted by coachrene 10 months ago

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  Sense of public ownership of urban waters »

  Partnership idea on Anacostia

  Partner with us...APHA Built Environment Workgroup...we have a tour every year at the annual meeting...this year's is in DC late Oct & we have urban waterways as an emerging theme the group is interested in... I am netmtman on twitter or delucia@mail.etsu.edu

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  Submitted by delucia 9 months ago

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  Connection with urban waters »

  Director of Development

  Washington, DC, October 25, 2011 - Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region announces that nearly 200 youth and adults will participate in the Anacostia River Fall Clean Up along the shoreline of the Anacostia River on Thursday, November 3, 2011. The clean up and educational activities will be held from 9:00 until 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by an awards ceremony and picnic lunch during which the organization ...more »

  Washington, DC, October 25, 2011 - Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region announces that nearly 200 youth and adults will participate in the Anacostia River Fall Clean Up along the shoreline of the Anacostia River on Thursday, November 3, 2011. The clean up and educational activities will be held from 9:00 until 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by an awards ceremony and picnic lunch during which the organization will present its “Living Legend Award” to individuals with a vested interest and a record of diligent work in the Anacostia River watershed and community.

  2011 Living Legend Award Winners

  Environmental Protection Agency, The Honorable Lisa Jackson, Administrator-Agency/Elected Official Winner

  The Honorable Sam Farr, (CA-17th) C- Individual Winner

  Harris LithoGraphics, Quinn Harris-Corporate Winner

  Former winners have included: Chuck Fox, EPA; Tom Dernoga, Councilman,, Prince George’s County; George Hawkins, DC Water;, Senator Ben Cardin; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; Congressman Steny Hoyer; PEPCO; Shell Hydrogen; American Honda Motor Corporation, ; James Connolly; Dottie Yunger; and Gilda Allen.

  The clean up, hosted by Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region and the American Chemistry Council, will begin at 9:00 a.m. near Kingman Island on Parking Lot 6 at RFK Stadium in Northeast, DC. The purpose of the event will be to educate youth about the enormous impact that debris has on the health of the Anacostia River, one of 7 new Urban River Initiative pilot urban rivers recently designated in the U.S. Participants will include students and teachers from area schools, elected officials, representatives from federal and state agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations and the event’s sponsoring corporations. “Caring for the environment starts at a young age. We are proud to partner with Living Classrooms in helping to clean up the Anacostia River and to involve young people in protecting this treasure for future generations,” said Keith Christman, Managing Director of Plastic Markets for the American Chemistry Council.

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  Submitted by mlivingood 6 months ago

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  Local Watershed Report Cards Foster Communication/Collborati

  There are some great examples of "locally developed watershed report cards" that describe efforts to improve local waters. These report cards often display a range of "meaures" including local water quality monitoring data and results, public access, etc. The concept could be readily adapted to Urban Waters efforts and help communicate actions and progress and coordinate local, state and Federal actions. Here is a ...more »

  There are some great examples of "locally developed watershed report cards" that describe efforts to improve local waters. These report cards often display a range of "meaures" including local water quality monitoring data and results, public access, etc. The concept could be readily adapted to Urban Waters efforts and help communicate actions and progress and coordinate local, state and Federal actions. Here is a link to two examples: James River (VA): http://jamesriverassociation.org/what-we-do/Publications/state-of-the-james-09.pdf and the South River (MD): http://southriverfederation.net/index.php/river-health/asc

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  Submitted by lape.jeff 1 year ago

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  Equitable community revitalization »

  Connect Youth Corps to Green Infrastructure Opportunities

  Many Municipalities have programs to encourage the capture and re-use of more rainfall on site -- on both public and private properties. Existing Youth and Conservation Corps are looking for paths towards employment. Programs that offer residents incentives to disconnect their downspouts, instal rainbarrels and cisterns, or construct rain gardens can partner with organizations that have a proven track record working ...more »

  Many Municipalities have programs to encourage the capture and re-use of more rainfall on site -- on both public and private properties. Existing Youth and Conservation Corps are looking for paths towards employment. Programs that offer residents incentives to disconnect their downspouts, instal rainbarrels and cisterns, or construct rain gardens can partner with organizations that have a proven track record working with Youth to get more of this work done, and teach participants valuable skills.

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  Submitted by kadri.jamal 1 year ago

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  Connection with urban waters »

  Vegetated Bioswale

  We have a 40’ X 620’ (20' deep) Vegetated Bioswale to absorb rainwater runoff from the 10-acre asphalt midway, site of carnival rides during the State Fair of Virginia, and parking for consumer and trade shows in Farm Bureau Center (65,000 sq. ft. exhibition hall) year-round. Native trees and bushes have been planted. We get 400,000 visitors each year who learn about waterway protection in an Upland Tributary of the ...more »

  We have a 40’ X 620’ (20' deep) Vegetated Bioswale to absorb rainwater runoff from the 10-acre asphalt midway, site of carnival rides during the State Fair of Virginia, and parking for consumer and trade shows in Farm Bureau Center (65,000 sq. ft. exhibition hall) year-round. Native trees and bushes have been planted. We get 400,000 visitors each year who learn about waterway protection in an Upland Tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

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  Submitted by dking 1 year ago

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  Connection with urban waters »

  Creekwatch - Iphone app

  We are thinking about an iphone app here in Region 7 to share info on our urban streams monitoring. When we started investigating we found an app already up and running that allows for some basic info input...check out creekwatch.org. An easy way for citizens to report on the state of urban waters.

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  Submitted by Jeff Robichaud 9 months ago

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  Connection with urban waters »

  Funding for Small Urban Areas

  Can these partnered federal agencies also consider projects in smaller urban/small town areas? The areas identified all seem to be very large cities, and while smaller, the same fundamental concepts exsit when improving the watershed including daylighting streams, watershed cleanups, contaminated sediment cleanups, ownership, responsibility, partnership development.

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  Submitted by Bakers9 10 months ago

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  Sense of public ownership of urban waters »

  Creek 101

  Concentrating in the Compton Creek Watershed we take high school students into the creek where we teach students about the cycle of how their daily habits impact the creek and as a result, how the unhealthy creek impacts their daily lives.

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  Submitted by mmccarthy 10 months ago

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  What's In It 4 Me?

  We all have a lot of work to do and extensive outside obligations. I have always been a believer of the "carrot and the stick approach." This said, what ideas have inspired your communities to stay on track when the results may not turn out as expected, when the city does not give a permit, when the planning board tells you it will be a costly project, when the "administration" changes? How can the experience/results/success ...more »

  We all have a lot of work to do and extensive outside obligations. I have always been a believer of the "carrot and the stick approach." This said, what ideas have inspired your communities to stay on track when the results may not turn out as expected, when the city does not give a permit, when the planning board tells you it will be a costly project, when the "administration" changes? How can the experience/results/success of the communities be available to other groups for ideas and inspiration? I welcome your thoughts.

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  Submitted by kopitsky.cyndy 9 months ago

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