COLOR THE WATERSHED
What is a WATERSHED?
A watershed is an area of land that water flows over and through as it drains (sheds) rainwater from the higher elevations of land to the lower elevations eventually draining (shedding) down to a river or large body of water. Watersheds can be as big as the Mississippi River watershed (which sheds the water from 31 states down to the Gulf of Mexico) or as small as your school yard (which may shed rain water to a ditch, then a creek on its way to a river or larger body of water). The land area may contain homes, farms, forests, small towns, large cities, and industrial areas. Ridges, hilltops, or other similar land masses divide one watershed from another.We all live in a watershed. Animals and plants all live there with us. Everyone affects what happens in a watershed by what we put on the ground or how we treat our natural resources, including soil, forests, air, and water. We can protect our watersheds by preventing pollutants such as soil, litter, motor fluids, excess fertilizer, pesticides, or manure (including pet waste) from being washed away by rainwater runoff.
- Print the picture of River Town's Watershed above. (Ask a parent or teacher to help if you do not know how.)
- Color the water in the Clear Bottom River, Crystal Creek, and Bobby's river pool blue to show River Town's watershed.
- Color the streamside buffer (bushes) green to show the Best Management Practice of keeping shrubbery and trees growing along the edge of the stream bank to keep the soil from eroding (washing away) into the watershed.
- Color the trees, grass, and bushes in River Town green to show the Best Management Practice of covering the soil with plantings to keep the soil from eroding.
