Participants will adopt a drain (or storm water ditch/swale) for regular clean ups and data collection – counting and removing trash and plastics that would otherwise enter our waterways.

Community members will adopt a catch basin, culvert, or pipe outlet to monitor and remove debris. Data collected will…

We want to identify and better understand everywhere within town where water flows toward, into, and along our waterways including riparian (water-side) corridors:• Where do we have flooding and flows, especially with Spring snowmelt and rainstorms.• What is the water quality and when – generally clear? Sometimes or always turbid (muddy)? Forms pools and gets real funky?• What flora and fauna does the water support – willows? Songbirds? Pollinators? Frogs? • What are the seasonal patterns?

Engage volunteers to collect water quality data on their local streams

Protect the waterways of the lower Colorado River watershed.

Monitor waters for introduction of invasive crayfish.

Collect and share water quality data to inform water quality protection actions

Frogwatch SA aims to give us a more comprehensive understanding of how our frogs are tracking over time. With your support, it will provide information to help us discover and describe new types of frogs and expand the known distribution of frogs, particularly in the more remote areas of South Austr

Become a water engineer! Learn why wetlands are important and what organisms live there. Practice engineering skills by constructing watershed models with our hands-on stream tables. Search for aquatic critters in water samples from Lake James waterways. A sensory-friendly toolkit will be available for participants to use during the program as needed. This event is part of the 2025 NC Science Festival.  Meet the Program Lead at the back patio of the Visitors Center in the Paddy’s Creek Area.