Take Action!
Simple Ideas for Stewardship:
- Litter cleanup – Recycle what you can!
- Pet waste pickup – Keep extra nutrients and fecal coliform bacteria out of the water supply.
- Plant (native) plants – Vegetation helps reduce the erosion of sediment into water and can help filter pollutants before they reach a stream.
- Minimize fertilizers on gardens and lawns – These can still be fertilized sparingly and “caringly!”
- Reduce water use – Try doing a water audit in your home and challenge your family to improve over time!
- Practice clean car care – Wash your car in the grass instead of the road or driveway.
- Clean off storm drains – Leaves, grass clippings, and litter travel directly to streams from these catch basins and negatively impact water quality.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose, and Refuse! – Reduce consumption, use reusable containers, learn about your local recycling rules, repurpose items for new projects, and refuse items such as single-use plastics.
Learn about YOUR watershed with these slideshows and home activities!
These are formatted in Google Slides and Google Docs for educators but can be downloaded for your use in other applications.
Lesson 1: Learn about what a watershed is and how our local Flint River watershed is connected to the Great Lakes and world ocean.
Activity: Build a 3D Watershed Model
Lesson 2: Learn about how our actions on land impact water quality and explore local communities through geographic information systems (GIS).
Activity: Identify Impacts Near You
Lesson 3: Learn about the causes and effects of 9 water quality indicators.
Activity: Use a bubble map to think deeper about how humans impact water.
Family Challenge: Perform a Runoff Risk Assessment on your Yard
Lesson 4: Use the Flint River GREEN data portal to analyze your local stream
Activity A: Practice with Q-Values
Activity B: Investigate Your Site
Teachers and Students:
Head to the links below to find many educational resources that support distance learning:
- Bridges 9-Week Flint River Watershed Distance Learning Unit Progression – Each week contains a video, a student reader, an informational slideshow, a family challenge, and an assignment plus extension activities. Built in the Google Suite for easy integration with Google Classroom.
- Multimedia and Printable Water Quality Activities – selected for instructors wishing to use distance learning to teach about water quality
- Weblinks for Water Quality – Flint River Green Bridges extension activities and information
Other Student Stewardship at Home (External Links)
- Volunteer Water Quality Benthic Monitoring – Flint River Watershed Coalition – adaptations currently underway to train volunteers remotely
- Genesee County Community Water Quality Consortium Stewardship Resources
- Michigan Sea Grant: H.O.M.E.S. at Home Series
- Michigan Water Stewardship Program
- Neighborhood Litter Clean Up