Adopt-a-Watershed
Adopt A WatershedFinal Report 2009
20 Things You Need To
Know About Watersheds
A Guide To
Healthy Watersheds
Adopt-a-Watershed
The Adopt-A-Watershed program was developed by Clean Nova Scotia with support from Halifax Water as a pilot project in 2008 to advocate the importance of environmental sustainability and to address a lack of educational programming that emphasizes and educates Nova Scotians about the importance of maintaining healthy watershed areas.
Adopt-a-Watershed presentations are tailored to specific grade level science curricula. They engage students and teachers in scheduled garbage clean-ups,
watershed field trips and art projects to facilitate hands-on learning. Through these activities, youth are taught how to prevent pollution with an emphasis on the importance of maintaining a healthy water supply. The program also encourages stewardship by focusing on water preservation, conservation and sustainability issues that are prevalent in the lives of youth to better impress upon them the importance of maintaining a healthy water supply.
In 2009, Clean Nova Scotia built upon the pilot project by addressing teacher recommendations and reaching more students and youth in key watershed communities. With a focus on water preservation, this year’s program engaged youth in after-school groups and students in grades 6, 8 and 10 that live within and near the Lake Major Watershed. Funding for this year’s program was provided by Halifax Water, the Southeastern Community Health Board, and the Unilever-Evergreen Aquatic Stewardship and Conservation Grant.
In May and June, over 340 youth from 15 classes within 5 schools and 60 youth from 3 youth groups in the communities of Cherry Brook/Lake Loon, North Preston, East Preston and Portland Hills received Clean Nova Scotia’s Adopt-a-Watershed program presentations which taught them how to become stewards of their watershed. Participants from schools and local youth groups learned about water preservation, conservation and sustainability, and the importance of maintaining a healthy water supply. Activities included interactive presentations, art projects, scheduled litter cleanups, and watershed field trips. The program hopes to encourage these communities to serve as an example to others and demonstrate how everyone can play a part in protecting watershed ecosystems.
Continuing to champion environmental education in Nova Scotia is an important mandate of CNS. To compliment the educational aspect of this program, Clean Nova Scotia hosted an “Ubuntu: Watershed Stewardship Fair” in the community of North Preston in June 2009, in partnership with the Preston Area Trail Association. This finale event of the 2009 Adopt-a-Watershed program brought the communities of North Preston, East Preston and Cherrybrook/Lake Loon together to celebrate their efforts to engage in and protect their watershed environment. Held at the North Preston Community Centre, the Fair was a huge success, with a turnout of over 150 people. Highlights included performance and instruction by dancers from the Maritime Center for African Dance, as well as a complimentary BBQ, entertainment, games that reinforced what the youth learned about watersheds, and prizes.”
Appreciation is extended to our funding partners for this year’s program: |
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