Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

Did you know that most storm drains go directly to streams and not a waste water treatment facility? Did you know that all that rain water running into those drains picks up litter from the ground and toxins off the roads? Our goal was to spread the word to our town so the citizens can say â€œYes, I do know this!â€
This past spring I worked with my cityâ€™s public works department and organized for my high school science club to stencil storm drains in local neighborhoods. The stencil read â€œDUMP NO WASTE, DRAINS TO STREAMâ€ as a visual warning about where the water really goes. We also had door hangers to leave at each house, telling them what we were doing, why, and answer questions they had. I loved getting the opportunity to talk with some of them as they came up and asked us what we were doing!
A few weeks after the painting day, our club hosted a small Arbor Day awareness event at our local farmers market. We presented about our storm drain stencil project to even more of the community with posters, pictures, and even an interactive watershed activity for the kids. We are planning to continue this outreach project and bring awareness to more and more neighborhoods.