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Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney (Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps member) returned to West Craven Middle School last week for a “Stormwater Week” reprise with a new group of 46 students.

Day 1 included an introduction to Sound Rivers and what Sound Rivers does to protect water quality.

Day 2 involved a wetland activity to demonstrate the importance of wetlands in every ecosystem. Students placed playdough (land) and sponges (wetlands) in a tray, then sprinkled dirt (sediment) and sprinkles (fertilizers and pesticides) across “the land.” Making it “rain” using spray bottles, they watched as the simulated pollutants washed into waterways.

“When the sponges were in place, none of the ‘pollutants’ got through,” Sierra said. “When the sponges were taken away, it created a huge mess, and nothing was there to stop everything from running into the ‘waterways.’ This was a great interactive activity!”

On Day 3, Sierra took students on a tour of one of West Craven Middle School’s rain gardens, installed by Sound Rivers’ Campus Stormwater Program.

“We discussed why rain gardens and other stormwater control measures are used on campus to control stormwater: they slow the water down, spread it out, and soak it! We also talked about how rain gardens provide habitat to native pollinators and can be a nice attraction for any campus,” Sierra said.

The students, with assistance from Sierra and Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz, separated some of the grasses and planted them in the campus’ larger rain garden that was in need of more plants. They also held a cleanup: picking up trash and removing weeds from the rain garden.

Like the work your program staff is doing to educate younger generations about water quality? We LOVE it! Donate today to support Sound Rivers’ educational outreach!

Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps is a service program of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, funded by a grant through the North Carolina Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism.