Exotic Millipede Discovered at Mianus River Gorge

News from The Bedford-Katonah Patch: "A tiny, exotic bug that has never before been found in the Northeast has found its way to Bedford from the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina."

Social Change Website Examples

In order to move forward with implementation and education strategies for the Watershed-based Plan, it's important to consider how goals are understood by the public and to what extent residents and businesses can be motivated to participate in stewardship. Good PR requires simple communication of sometimes complicated scientific concepts. We'd like to share a few examples of conservation websites we've found that do an especially good job of distilling their message:

• Be Floridian
• Florida Wildlife Corridor
• Visit My Forest
• Save Sand Hill Lakes

The Economic Impact of State Parks, Forests and Natural Resources

Following last week's post, a related (and local) example of the economic value of open space. According to CTDEEP and Uconn's Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA), "...outdoor activities on state lands have an economic impact of more than $1 billion a year."  Read More...

Environmental Regulations and Jobs

Environmental regulations don't necessarily depress the job market, according to a new study by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation: http://www.northernnecknews.com/?p=517

Implementation Measures and Education

Many of the implementation measures outlined in the watershed-based plan could potentially be coupled with educational programs through school partnerships and volunteering. For example, a rain garden constructed at or near a school could serve as a demonstration site for educators, and could be maintained and monitored throughout the year by students. Local nature centers or environmental organizations could partner with school teachers to provide watershed education as part of basic science classes.

Trout Unlimited's Trout in the Classroom was suggested at the recent stakeholder meeting as a resource for both teachers and watershed advocates. The program provides lesson plans and a web resources library to engage students in ecosystem and habitat studies as they relate to the individual fish and to the wider watershed. The program includes raising the trout from eggs to fry in a classroom tank, where students monitor water quality and learn about trout habitat; at the end of the year students can release their trout into a state-approved stream.

Learn more about the program: http://www.troutintheclassroom.org/

Blair Mill Elementary School in Horsham Township, PA recently partnered with AKRF to design, install, and monitor a series of small stormwater management wetlands and riparian plantings. A watershed education program was developed with the help of Trout Unlimited's resources. Learn more about this project, and see the design concept.

What other established programs exist to help watershed managers engage local schools? How have others in the watershed used management efforts to promote community education?