Pictured on your screen is Julia and I’s first ever, independently run, Watershed Warrior event! We are so ready to teach children about how lakes are made, the water cycle, the dangers of pollution, the food web, and how to identify invasive species. Once those kids have gone through those stations, they will be thereby dubbed Watershed Warriors, with a snazzy certificate to show off.
Our Watershed Warrior event is one of many educational tools we have at our disposal to teach New Hampshire-ites about keeping their lakes clean and healthy. Another outreach program that NH LAKES, our organization, has is the Lake Host program. The Lake Host program encourages volunteers to get trained in aquatic invasive species identification. After a training session coordinated by NH LAKES and NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), the Lake Host is stationed at a boat ramp. Once at the boat ramp, boats are looked over by Lake Hosts for invasive species while boaters are educated on how these plants and animals are spread.
Our newest program, that we are currently perfecting for the public, is the LakeSmart Program. Through this program we evaluate lakefront properties and inform the homeowner about lake-friendly practices they can incorporate into their homes. If we determine that their properties are LakeSmart, meaning that their level of runoff and other pollutions are controlled and minimal, they will receive the LakeSmart award. Maine has been evaluating lakefront properties for a few years now and their records have shown an increase in lake friendly practices. We hope to tweak the LakeSmart program to our New Hampshire home owners!
Julia and I are excited about these programs because our supervisors continuously encourage us to provide advice and suggestions about how to better these programs. We truly feel that our input matters and is taken seriously. It is a great feeling! But anyway, my trusty partner in crime and I are enjoying the sunshine, making bracelets with kids, and are talking about what we want our personal projects to be for the summer. Stay tuned!
Hollyn is a graduate of the George Washington University where she received her BA in International Affairs/Sustainability. You can read more about Hollyn here.