Friends of Deckers Creek Youth Advisory Board (YAB) Workshops
the problem:
Our town is growing and is beginning to be overcome by chain stores and pavement. There is a growing disconnect between what we consume and throw away, and what happens to those products when we dispose of them. Deckers Creek is polluted by acid mine drainage, stormwater runoff pollution, bacteria, and litter. We believe our community would be fiercely dedicated to improving and protecting our environment if they were aware of how fragile it is. The Friends of Deckers Creek Youth Advisory Board (YAB) has therefore decided to inform our community, in a creative way, about the problems that our watershed faces, and how to resolve these issues. We will host hands-on workshops in our outdoor classroom pavilion located along Deckers Creek. YAB members will lead these free community workshops, creating a ripple effect of watershed education throughout the watershed. YAB will lead two workshops; one on acid mine drainage (AMD) and one on aquatic wildlife. The AMD and Art workshop will consist of learning about acid mine drainage pollution and its impact on aquatic life, making AMD tie dye t-shirts, creating a sculpture made from trash, and building tasty edible watersheds. The Water and Wildlife workshop will consist of how to sample for stream bugs and fish, why they are important, and how to identify common stream bugs. These workshops are a hands-on way to show what happens when our environment is not taken care of, and how everyone can take an active part in preserving it.
vital stats:
people impacted:
3,500people involved:
50why it's important:
Cleaning up a stream is great. Cleaning up the entire watershed is even better, but cleaning up the attitudes of the people who live alongside and in the watershed is the most valuable achievement of all. If Morgantown residents could be aware of the impact they have as a whole on their local environment, a vast change would occur. It would be measured in ph levels of the water, number of fish living in the streams, population of bugs and animals that are vital to a healthy environment, and beauty of our surroundings. Our goal is to educate as many people as we can in a relevant and captivating manner that would trigger a new respect for the local environment. With this respect would come a desire for a community that is not littered with cigarette butts and fast food wrappers. They would desire a clean watershed where fish would be plentiful and swimming would be safe. Morgantown is a fast growing city, but we need to remind ourselves that we are a community nestled in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, and that we contain some of the most incredible wildlife in our backyards. Our goal is to get our community to acknowledge it and allow it to thrive through conservation education.
the plan of action:
FODC YAB is a group of young people that want to participate in activities that will further the development of a clean ecosystem. We not only want to do this, but we want others to participate as well. We want to educate people on ways they can impact the local surroundings by not littering, actively recycling, and supporting local groups that research and clean up local green space and watersheds. We want to encourage involvement in these things by showing the community what a positive impact a clean Decker's Creek watershed would have on their lives. We will target youth, teens, and adults for these workshops and advertise through the Friends of Deckers Creek newsletter, website, e-mail listserv, and YAB website and Facebook. Other community partners including the local Board of Parks and Recreation and Mon River Trails Conservancy will also help us advertise. YAB mentors will help members organize the content of each workshop and purchase necessary supplies. In addition to our mentors, we will also enlist the help of experts in water chemistry, aquatic life, and environmental art to help teach these workshops. If the participants are truly engaged, enthused, and educated, they will pass their knowledge and excitement onto their peers and families. This ripple effect will have a lasting impact on local communities, specifically regarding water conservation and pollution issues, ultimately making these communities healthier places to live.
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