Everyone as Conservationist - Watersheds

Water. Two hydrogen atoms, one oxygen atom. A unique gift on our planet. It supports life. It covers most of the planet's surface. We need it for drinking, bathing, cooking, manufacturing, and bathrooming.

And we find ourselves in a series of ongoing water crises.

Recurring floods.

Record droughts

Cities with tainted water

Cities without water

Toxic Algae Blooms

Plastic Garbage Islands

Coral Bleaching

The Gulf of Mexico's Deadzone

The above is a major list of problems for such an elemental part of life. Many of these problems come down to two root causes: human behavior and climate change.

Many of the above problems are local problems. All of us live in a watershed. And we probably don't even know which watershed we live in. So what's a watershed?

A watershed is a geographic area where water flows to the same place. And it can play a big part in water politics. For example, if you live in Waukesha, WI you are in the Milwaukee suburbs. Milwaukee is part of Lake Michigan's watershed. Rain which falls in Milwaukee eventually flows into Lake Michigan. In Waukesha, the water doesn't flow back to Lake Michigan. Instead it flows into the Fox River. The Fox River flows south into Illinois and into the Illinois River. The Illinois River flows into the Mississippi River and exits into the Gulf of Mexico.

So step one for you is to identify what watershed you live in.

Next you need to understand how your watershed works and understand where your water goes. We'll call this a water map. For those of us in the Midwest, most of our rain eventually makes it to the Great Lakes or Gulf of Mexico. Here's a framework for you:

Rain hits your roof, flows into your gutter.

Some exits your property and into your street.

From the street it goes into the gutter or storm sewers.

And then into the local retention pond.

Eventually back into the storm sewers and then back into a creek, stream, or river.

From the smaller river into a bigger.

And then into a greater body of water

You are connected to something much greater than yourself, and you are connected to a body of water on which we all rely; be that a Great Lake or the ocean.

The last step, get involved.

A lot of watersheds have some kind of community organization. For example, Clean Lakes Alliance is non profit group supporting the Yahara River and Lakes watershed in Madison, WI. These are typically volunteer organizations who monitor the health of the watershed and advocate for its health. Take the time to find out if your watershed has an organization; you know take 15 seconds and google it.

Find out what other communities are in your watershed.

Get outside and explore your watershed.

What does getting involved with your watershed look like?

I've attended a number of talks at our local library. City officials discussed plans to dredge the local retention pond. One was on the surprising biodiversity and health of our local retention ponds. Another was on the cranes living in nearby wetlands. In addition to learning about my watershed; it's where the kids and I go looking for wildlife.


Green Frogs in our retention pond.


Family of Sandhill Cranes with 2 colts visiting the local retention pond.


This juvenile Bald Eagle caught a fish in our retention pond.

Water from my yard and my neighborhood ends up in that pond. The health of that pond and the animals who call it home depend on us. And this pond is just the start of the water's journey before it is eventually released in the Gulf of Mexico.