Cleaning the river doesn’t just mean removing the polluters and taking pollution out of the water, it means restoring the ecosystems in the surrounding area as well – the watershed. The watershed includes all the land area through which water flows and drains to the lowest point, in a stream, river, lake or estuary.
Here are just a few of the organizations across the nation devoted to keeping our waterways and their surrounding environments clean:
- Massachusetts: Nashua River Watershed Association
- New Jersey: Stonybrook Millstone Watershed Association
- The Eastern Shore: The Chesapeake Bay Program
- West Virginia: West Virginia Watershed Network
- Missouri: Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition
- Florida: Florida Water Environment Association
- Colorado: Colorado Watershed Assembly
- Southern California: Santa Ana Watershed Association
- Northern California: North Bay Watershed Association
- Texas: Texas Watershed Steward
To find out about rivers in your region, go to American Rivers to see if there are threatened waterways in your area and learn how you can help.
Generations to come will benefit from how we care for our rivers now, and part of that process is getting kids interested in the beauty and science of rivers. In Tumblehome Learning‘s latest mystery, Something Stinks!, 7th grader Emily Sanders investigates the pollution behind fish kills that wash up on her Uncle’s farm. In the process she and her friends learn about the science of rivers and how one person can really make a difference. It’s a good fun read for all ages!