Celebrate EARTH DAY by supporting the “Is This Erosion?” campaign
April 23rd: get some photos of stream bank erosion, free pizza and a t-shirt
A new campaign to raise awareness about how sediment can affect water quality has launched in Frederick County. “Is This Erosion?” encourages community members of all ages to use a website and mobile phone application to share your photos of places where stormwater runoff is wearing away banks and depositing sediment into rivers and streams. Friends of Frederick County (FoFC) is calling on volunteers to participate in celebration of Earth Day 2016! Show us your photos, win a free t-shirt and join others for pizza and to share your photos! We will use your photos to help us determine stream protection actions to take, such as riparian plantings.
“River and stream erosion can degrade the quality of our drinking water and deprive fish, frogs and other animals of the habitat they need to live,” said Brent Walls, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper. “By participating in the #Isthiserosion? campaign, residents can learn how to recognize erosion and report it to others who can address its effects.”
Water Reporter documents and maps volunteer reports through a simple mobile app and website. Each new report help builds a comprehensive library of observations about the state of rivers and streams, including potential water quality threats or progress at correcting problems. Because volunteers are outdoors at different times and places, they can provide information that environmental groups and government officials can use to monitor river and stream health.
FoFC has had success using this mobile app to alert government officials about water pollution sources, and over 25 have been addressed with cow fencing, silt fencing, tree plantings and stream clean ups. A FoFC partner organization, Stream Link Education (streamlinkeducation.org), raises native tree and shrub seedlings at the Scott Key Center and at Mount St Mary’s University for planting along eroded stream banks throughout the county, and has planted thousands of trees. Now, citizen reports sent through Water Reporter system provide important information on new sites that need vegetation to protect streams from erosion.
RSVP to be on Earth Day Water Reporter Volunteer Team by sending an email to [email protected] and get your instructions on how to participate and where to meet on April 23rd 4-6pm for pizza (note no photos, no pizza!). We need at least ten dedicated volunteers, so engage your friends and family with smart phones to use the app and take some photos. Email us now for instructions.
