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My Chehalis Watershed Pledge!

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A watershed is an area of land (including deserts, cities, and farms) that is drained by rivers and tributaries to a common waterway like a lake, river, Puget Sound or the ocean. A watershed is also defined by the plants, animals and people living in the watershed including their stories and traditions. The Chehalis Watershed is the one of the largest in Washington State, covering 2,660 square miles. The headwaters are high in the Willapa Hills south of the town of Pe Ell. Here the mainstem and South Fork Chehalis drain uplands south and west of Chehalis. For over a hundred miles, the Chehalis River winds its way through the towns of Centralia, Chehalis, Rochester, Oakville, Elma, and Montesano before emptying into the Pacific Ocean between the twin cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam. There are 180 lakes, ponds, streams and reservoirs in the Chehalis Basin Watershed. Agricultural and urban areas are common throughout the lowland regions of the Basin. Many people use the Chehalis River and its tributaries for a variety of purposes including drinking water, irrigation, industry, navigation, commercial and tribal fishing and recreation. The basin has a high proportion of forestlands; however, development is concentrated in areas close to important basin streams and rivers. This can have negative impacts on both water quality and quantity. The Chehalis Watershed faces many challenges, threats -- and opportunities.

We are working to learn about, protect and enhance this special watershed, and we invite you to join us!

Did you know that all of the water around you is connected?

Did you know that we all live in a watershed?

What do you know about watersheds?

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Each person affects the watershed they live in with their daily actions. Things like pollution and over-use of water threaten the health of a watershed. A healthy watershed in turn helps ensure the health of every person, animal, and plant that lives within it, including you and your family! This booklet will help you understand the watershed you live in and how to protect it. You’ll learn how water cycles through the environment, how different forms of pollution can enter watersheds, and how to conserve water. You’ll also learn what actions YOU can take to prevent these problems, enjoy nature, and help keep your watershed healthy!

INTRODUCTION

1.The Water Cycle 2. Drinking Water 3. Runoff 4. Getting Started 5. Hazards in Your Home 6. Hazards in Your Yard and Garden 7. The Scoop on Poop 8. Car Waste 9. Trash! 10. Lights Out 11. Recreation 12. Get Outside and Get Involved 13. Resources 14. Glossary 15. Sources 16. Watershed Pledge

CONTENTS

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The water cycle is the endless movement of water through three states– solid, liquid and gas- around the planet Earth. Though it has no starting point we'll begin in the oceans, since that is where most of Earth's water exists. The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats ocean water which evaporates as water vapor (a gas) into the air. A relatively small amount of water also enters the atmosphere when ice and snow change from solid water to water vapor through sublimation. Water is also released into the atmosphere through a process called transpiration, where liquid water transpires to water vapor through a plant’s leaves. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds.

I. THE WATER CYCLE

Find these words in the water cycle

Evaporation

Transpiration

Precipitation

Condensation

Runoff

Air currents move clouds around the globe, and cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky as precipitation.

Some precipitation falls as snow and can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of years!

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Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land as rain or snow. As the seasons change from winter to spring, snow thaws and melts.

Rain, snow, snowmelt and any other sources of surface water can flow over the land as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape, with stream flow moving water towards the oceans. Runoff and groundwater seepage accumulate and are stored as freshwater in lakes.

Not all runoff flows into rivers, though. Much of it percolates into the ground and replenishes aquifers. An aquifer is a layer of permeable rock, sand, or gravel that stores and holds water. Pipes are drilled into groundwater to supply wells with water for drinking. Groundwater, under pressure, also finds openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. Some groundwater stays close to the land surface and can seep back into and recharge surface-water bodies (and the ocean).

Yet more groundwater is ab-sorbed by plant roots through a process called absorption. Over time all of this water keeps moving, some to reenter the ocean, where the water cycle "begins again"!

I. THE WATER CYCLE

Find these words in the water cycle

Bedrock

Vapor

Aquifers

Precipitation

Groundwater

precipitation

aquifer

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I. THE WATER CYCLE

Play the Blue Traveler Game!

Out of all of the water on Earth, 97% is saltwater, 2%

is glacial ice — and less than 1% is drinkable

groundwater

Go to: www.discoverwater.

org/water-cycle/ and learn more about

the water cycle!

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Play the Blue Traveler Game!

The water around you is truly ancient, even as it is renewed

through the water cycle. In fact, the water you drink today may have been a drink for a dinosaur, 200

million years ago! (EPA).

2. DRINKING WATER

Much more fresh water is stored

under the ground in aquifers than on the

earth’s surface.

Water dissolves more substances

than any other liquid. Wherever it

travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.

The total amount of water on the earth is

about 326 million cubic miles of water.

Callout Jokes: “What did one tide pool say to the other?” Show me

your mussels!

“What did the beach say to the tide?” Long tide, no sea.

“Why did the kid dump a bucket of water off the school roof?” He wanted to make a big splash in front of his class.

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Water that falls onto a forest, prairies, or meadow is absorbed or soaked up by the plants and soil. Surfaces that absorb water are called pervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, paved roads, parking lots, and roof tops prevent runoff from naturally soaking into the ground. “Polluted runoff" is created when rain, snowmelt, irrigation water, and other water sources run over the land, picking up pollutants like pesticides, fertilizers, leaking car fluids, animal wastes, and transporting them to local water bodies. This water is discharged untreated into water bodies we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water.

Nonpoint source pollution occurs when there are many sources of pollution and cannot be easily identified, while point source pollution has a single, identifiable source. Nonpoint source pollution is also called "people pollution" because much of it is the result of activities that people do everyday. With each rainfall, pollutants are washed from impervious surfaces and land areas into ditches and storm drains that flow into our nearby waterways. Nonpoint source pollution is the biggest threat to our creeks, lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries and oceans.

3. RUNOFF

“In 2011, one quarter of our monitored beaches [in Puget

Sound] were unsafe for swimming because

they failed to meet water quality

standard”

Can you find

these words?

Nonpoint Source

Pollution

People Pollution

Pervious

Polluted Runoff

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The good news is that we can all help prevent "people pollution"! Simple lifestyle changes can make a tremendous difference in the quality of our water

and air resources.

Here are a few simple changes we can all make to help minimize nonpoint source pollution in the environment.

To help keep water clean, I promise to:

4. GETTING STARTED

B- Never pour harmful chemical or materials onto the ground, or into a storm drain.

C- Plant native plants, or a rain garden, to help absorb water and limit runoff.

A– Recycle what I can and dispose of trash correctly.

“Pack it in, pack it out”

D- (Write your own!)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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4. GETTING STARTED

Rain gardens can help filter runoff! Rain gardens are made up of special soil mix and native, drought and insect/disease resistant plants. The soil and plants work together to mimic a native forest by collecting, absorbing, and filtering water that would otherwise become runoff. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rain gardens can effectively remove

up to 97% of the copper from roof shingles, oil, grease and the soil! Create a rain garden at your home, or your school, and have an impact on the amount of polluted runoff entering local waters!

Polluted runoff is the number one source of

toxins entering Puget Sound.

Students at Oakville Middle/High

School created a rain garden at

their school!

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Are There Hazardous Materials in your home?

Household hazardous materials (HHM) contain ingredients that could be harmful to human health or the environment. Hazards such as cleaning products, paints, and glues are used at home every day by people like you and me. If they are not used properly, they can be harmful to people and pets. If they are not disposed of properly, these materials become household hazardous waste and they can get into our drinking water, rivers, creeks and Puget Sound and the ocean!

5. HAZARDS IN THE HOME

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5. HAZARDS IN THE HOME

Improper disposal of hazardous products can cause chemical

burns, or poisoning of people, drinking water, plants and

animals, and in some cases, can even cause explosions!

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Here are some common household products that are hazardous, and important to dispose of properly: batteries, old electronics, cleaning products, and oil-based paints. Follow this link to learn about where you can dispose of hazardous items in your community: apps.ecy.wa.gov/hwsd/default.htm

For home care, I promise to:

5. HAZARDS IN THE HOME

B- Dispose of toxic products

at household hazardous waste drop points See 13.Resource Page for links

to more information

C- Make a product out of safe

ingredients that can be used instead of a hazardous product. Visit www.ecy.wa.gov/toxicfreetips to make your own

A– Read the label on

household products and talk to parents about using safer alternatives. If I must use them, I will follow the instructions with care.

D- (Write your own!)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Products used in yards and gardens can be hazardous, too. Pesticides used to kill

bugs and herbicides used to kill weeds often contain hazardous chemicals that are

poisonous to plants, helpful bugs (such as local bees) and people. If used on the

lawn or garden when it rains, they may be washed into local waters and harm the

environment.

A healthy lawn only needs about an inch of water per week. If your lawn or garden

receives more water than it needs each week through rain or over-watering, prod-

ucts such as fertilizers, bug and weed killers can run off into nearby ditches, rivers

and creeks.

Create a simple water gage by setting an empty tuna or cat food can onto the lawn.

Check it often when watering to know when the inch of water has been met. If you

reach an inch in one week from rain, there is no need to water that week!

With an adult, follow the link below to the Control of Toxic Chemicals in Puget

Sound (www.ecy.wa.gov/puget_sound/toxicchemicals/effects.html)

Kari Winsor, with students from Komachin MS at

Blue Earth Farm, a small farm in Chehalis

6. HAZARDS IN YOUR YARD AND GARDEN

Use a weed puller to get rid of weeds!

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B- Use compost and organic

fertilizers instead of quick-release fertilizers.

C- Plant native trees and plants

because they are resistant to diseases and insects.

A– Pull weeds by hand, or

with a tool, or use a safer substitute like water and white vinegar.

D- Make a water gauge to

keep track of how much water

the lawn gets from the

sprinkler/rain each week, to

only water one inch per week.

E- Write your own!

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Create your own soil amendment!

Follow this link to learn how to start

your own compost! www2.epa.gov/

recycle/composting-home

To help keep water clean, I promise to:

Here are a few simple changes we can

all make to help prevent pollution from

yards and gardens!

6. HAZARDS IN YOUR YARD AND GARDEN

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7. THE SCOOP ON POOP

Based on 2007 census dogs

generate approximately 6 TONS

OF FECES PER DAY in Thurston

County (that’s the weight of a full

size Killer Whale!).

A single gram of dog waste

(the weight of a business card)

contains an average of 23 million

fecal coliform bacteria.

Bacteria in pet waste creates a

health risk to people in parks

and yards, especially children

who often play in the grass.

Waste from dogs and humans contains more

fecal coliform bacteria per gram than cows,

horses and other wildlife. On average, a dog

will produce over 7 billion

fecal coliform bacteria!

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7. THE SCOOP ON POOP

For Pets, I promise to:

B -- Carry an extra pet waste

bag to offer to a friend who forgets one.

C-- Have my cat use a litter box

instead of going outside, and clean the litter box so they keep using it, and dispose of the dirty litter in the garbage.

A – Scoop the poop, bag it,

and place it in the trash. Don’t forget to wash your hands!

F -- Write your own!

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

E - Collect, cover and compost

manure from cows, horses, goats and other livestock.

D – Keep livestock and other animals

away from the edges of bodies of water; where they could hurt important native plants. And do NOT feed or allow your pets to chase wildlife.

For Livestock, I promise to:

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8. CAR WASTE

Don’t Let the Family Car Drip!

How to see if your family car is leaking fluids: First place a large piece of paper or cardboard under-neath the engine of your family car. (Tip: Pick a night without rain or wind.) Hold the edges of the paper with something heavy. Leave the cardboard under

your car overnight, or for at least 6 hours. In the morning, remove the paper and see if there are any

leaks. If your vehicle did not have a leak – that's terrific. Continue to maintain it and watch for leaks.

Periodically, do the "paper test".

If your vehicle has a leak, Talk to your parents about taking the car and the paper to an auto repair shop to repair the leak as soon as possible. If you cannot

get the leak repaired right away, put paper, cardboard, or a drip pan under the leak while your

vehicle is parked, until you can get the leak repaired. For spills and leaks: Cover with an absorbent

material, such as soil or kitty litter, sweep it up and put it in the trash.

A lot of pollution can come from vehicles. Cars often leak fluids, which can be washed into local waters by runoff. Leaks in driveways or garages may also end up in the water, and can be poisonous to pets and people. A car’s exhaust contains chemicals and small bits of metal and soot that are released into the air, or left on the road where they can be picked up by runoff.

Vehicles are important to people, but we must use and manage them carefully. What can you do? Get physical! 40% of all car trips are for distances less than 2 miles. Walk, bike, or skateboard to school, the store or your friends house when you can. Physical activity is important for your overall health, and using a car less often means less pollution. You can also taking the bus or carpool to reduce pollution!

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Create no idle zones.

Idling is when a car is left in park, with the engine on. For every ten minutes that a car is idling, it releases a pound of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere! Turning the engine off while a car is parked saves gas and money, and prevents pollution. You could talk to your teacher or principal about putting up “No Idle-Zone” signs in the student pick-up and drop-off area at your school!

8. CAR WASTE

Follow this link to a video on

car washes by the Puget Sound

Car Wash Association:

http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=FBSpHZz9f0Q

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To reduce pollution from vehicles, I promise to:

F- Write your own!

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

D– Encourage my family to

take the car to a commercial car wash, where the water is cleaned and recycled on site, and the grime is sent to a wastewater treatment plant.

C- Check to see if our family

car has a leak and letting my parents know about the leak.

B- Ask my teacher or principal

about putting “No Idle Zone” signs in the pick-up/drop-off area.

A– Reduce the amount of cars

on the road by carpooling, taking the bus, walking, riding a bike, skateboard, or some other form of transportation.

8. CAR WASTE

E– If I wash the car at home, I’ll

use a non phosphate soap and wash it over the lawn or gravelly area (not over a drinking area or septic system ) so the wash water can soak into the ground. I’ll save water by using a bucket and a hose with a spray nozzle.

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9. TRASH

Each year, Americans generate millions of pounds of garbage. In 2011, Washingtonians generated an

average of 13.1 pounds of trash per day, with 6.8 pounds diverted through recycling and composting. In many cities in Western Washington, our landfills are filled to capacity, capped and closed. Much of the garbage that we produce locally is now trucked and then sent by train to landfills in Eastern Washington.

We can conserve valuable resources, save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harm-ful pollutants, conserve landfill space and create jobs by reducing the amount of garbage we produce.

Simple things we can do: Buy more durable goods, (did you know that

more than 97% of what we buy lasts less than 6 months?)

Reuse things! Upcycle and recycle items around your house by giving them a new use and pur-pose.

Donate items you are done with but might be useful to someone else.

At www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM) you can watch a video about the stuff we buy and its affects on the world.

Watch this video about an island in the Pacific Ocean that is being affected by

large and micro-plastics: vimeo.com/8177268

Plastics in the sea! Plastics and other forms of garbage are swept into local waters and can be carried on currents far out into the ocean.

Currents from all over the world meet in the ocean, and the litter they carry collects to form garbage patches as big as a continent. The Great Pacific garbage patch was predicted in 1988 and discovered in 1997. Another garbage patch exists in the Atlantic Ocean!

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A surprising source of plastics in our waterways comes from household products used and flushed down the drain. From micro beads in body care products washed down the shower drain to tiny bits of synthetic fabric such as fleece discharged with washing machine water. All these household products contribute to the problem. Sewage treatment plants screen out larger plastic items that get into the sewage waste stream, but microplastics pass right through. You can help eliminate this source by checking the products you buy. Avoid anything with microbeads and choose products with a minimal use of plastic packaging. Check out Plastics and Water — A dangerous mix for aquatic life: streamteam.info/pdf/current.pdf

9. TRASH

Learn more at www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/international-coastal-cleanup/10-things-you-can-do.html

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9. TRASH

H- Write your own!

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

B- Buy things with my

spending money that will last me a long time, and that use less packaging or are made of recycled

materials.

E- “Pack it in” and “

pack it out”

C- Recycle and compost

what I can, rather than throwing it away in the trash.

A– Use my own

reusable shopping bag, instead of taking plastic or paper ones from the

store.

F- Follow Ten Tips for

trash free seas

D–Organize a dumpster-

dive at my school, so that everyone can learn how many things are being thrown away that could have been recycled or composted instead.

G- Encourage your

school to participate in Food 2 Flowers (in

Thurston County) or other compost/recycling

program!

For reducing my waste, I promise to:

Learn more at www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/international-coastal-cleanup/10-things-you-can-do.html

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Power Down and Lights Out

Most of the energy you use at home and at school comes from burning fossil fuels. In Washington State 50% of energy used is from non-renewable sources including coal, oil and natural gas. Using less energy means burning fewer fossil fuels and putting less car-bon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Washington state produces lots of electricity from water—hydropower. It is considered renewable, but it still comes at a cost. For example, hydropower is considered renewable because it uses the Earth's water cycle to generate electricity. The movement of water as it flows downstream creates kinetic en-ergy that can be converted into electricity. A hydroelectric power plant con-verts this energy into electricity by forcing water, often held at a dam, through a hydraulic turbine that is connected to a generator. The water exits the turbine and is returned to a stream or riverbed below the dam. However, dams have a large impact on the natural river systems and to plants, fish, and other wildlife. Hydropower is one of the four H’s when considering the problems resulting in the decline of native salmon runs (the other H’s are: loss of habitat, hatcheries and over - harvest.)

Four thousand gallons of water will

produce one kilowatt-hour of

hydroelectric power which equates

to ten “100 watt” light bulbs or one

hour of using a space heater!

10. LIGHTS OUT

Mike Town, high school teacher, Cool School

Challenge Program creator. To learn how to join

the program check out: www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools

-USA/Become-an-Eco-School.aspx (Also found

on the 13. ResourcesPage)

For reducing my energy use, I promise to:

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8. TRASH! 10. LIGHTS OUT

F. Write your own! -

________________________________________________

C- I’ll do the math. An energy

audit will help me calculate how much energy my family uses at

home and identify ways to reduce your energy use.

www.epa.gov/climatestudents/solutions/actions/less-

energy.html

D– I’ll look for the ENERGY

STAR label. Energy–efficient appliances and electronics use

between 10 and 50 % less energy than regular models.

When I’m shopping for a computer, DVD player, or other

electronic device, I’ll look for products that display the

Energy Star label.

B- Power down. Did you know that

some appliances and electronics plugged into an outlet still use

power, even when they're turned off? Unplug “energy vampires” like

video game consoles, cell phone chargers and MP3 players whenever I can. Or I may buy a “smart” power

strip, which automatically cuts off power when I you turn off an

appliance.

A– Turn off the

lights when I leave a room.

E– I will involve my school and

classmates in the Cool School Challenge (CSC) Program. The

CSC engages students and teachers in practical strategies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2)

and other greenhouse gas emissions school-wide.

For reducing my energy use, I promise to:

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The rivers and streams in your watershed are popular with anglers, boaters, tubers, hikers, and other recreational users. While you're out enjoying your local creek or river, please remember that there may be fish spawning or rearing in the same creek or river. Here are ways to keep salmon and your watershed healthy. Fishing and Hunting: If you like to ride your ATV or dirt bike in the woods, those shallow gravel beds that look like the perfect place to cross a stream are also the perfect place for fish to spawn. It's especially important to leave gravel beds alone from May through February, when adult fish are spawn-ing and eggs are incubating. Please use bridges whenever possible.

Salmon return to Washington rivers and creeks to spawn each year. They have important work to take care of– laying eggs will insure the future of their species! When visiting a stream with spawning salmon, make sure to give them space. Salmon see you as a predator and will use up their own precious resources trying to swim away. Also, try not walk in the creek where you may trample fragile fish eggs.

List of salmon viewing areas:

Schafer State Park near Elma

Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail (http://spsseg.org/kcst/)

Tumwater Falls, McLane Nature Trail or the 4th Ave. Bridge in downtown Olympia

11. RECREATION

Artwork courtesy of Jessie Moyers, WDFW AmeriCorps Volunteer

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Invasive plants are not native to western Washington, but aggressively out-compete native plants for resources such as sun, water, and mineral nutrients. Many of these plants have adaptations that allow them to “hitchhike” from one area to another on your clothes, hunting and fishing equipment, or even your dog’s fur and paws! Make sure to inspect your gear for these unwanted plant and animal “hitchhikers” and clean thoroughly by submerging your boots and waders in hot water (140 C) for five minutes OR freezing your gear for at least eight hours. The New Zealand Mud Snail is a tiny “hitchhiker” that has been found in several areas around western Washington, including Capitol Lake in Olympia. They quickly reproduce by cloning themselves, and just one female mud snail can create a colony of 40 million in one year!

For more information on the New Zealand Mud Snail and other aquatic invasive species visit

http://wdfw.wa.gov/ais

11. RECREATION

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When I go outside for recreation I promise to:

B -- Not litter in or near water,

or anywhere! “Pack it in! Pack it out!”

C-- Not ride my motorized

vehicle in a riparian zone-- the area around a body of water.

A –Follow fishing and hunting

regulations developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

F -- Write your own!

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

E - Clean my boots and other

equipment thoroughly using hot water or by freezing

D – Stay on trails while I am

enjoying nature areas in the watershed.

11. RECREATION

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Want to learn more? Check out the Children and

Nature Network at: www.childrenandna

ture.org

Also check out:

www.visitolympia.

com/direct-sale-

farms for a listing of

farms in the area

that you can buy

directly from!

12. GET OUTSIDE AND GET INVOLVED

Children who play together in nature are less likely to take part in bullying behavior and instead more collaborative skills and will

demonstrate respect for others.

In a recent study from Japan, it has been shown that trees give off chemical compounds called phytoncides that naturally boost our

immunity and enhance how we feel overall. Pretty cool huh?

Even a 20-minute walk outside in nature can help with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), so kids can concentrate better! Students that are exposed to nature also score higher test score in math, reading

and writing than their non-nature exposed peers!

Children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to be overweight by 27% -41%. Today, medical doctors even prescribe time outside to get kids healthier!

Did you know that being active in nature can make you happier, healthier, kinder and smarter? Ever catch a cold or the flu? Even kids feel stress, right? According to studies by Dr. Michelfelder, Loyola School of Medicine, Chicago, (and others), being in nature improves ones’ immunity to fight off colds, makes you less likely to have asthma or be near-sighted! Spending time outside can also reduce anxiety and stress levels by as much as 28% in children!

Get outside and discover where your food comes from! Visit

one of our region’s farmers markets (Centralia, Chehalis,

Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater) or one of our many local farms!

Below are other ways time outdoors is good for your health!

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There are so many natural places calling for you and your family to explore! Take a look at the Chehalis outdoor recreational activity map: www.esd113.org/Page/111

B. Join my local Stream Team or land trust and help improve local creeks, streams and river!

A. Get outdoors in my own neighborhood!

C. Take my family and friends out to enjoy our amazing parks, lakes, rivers, streams and natural trails!

E. (Write Your Own!)

___________________________________________________

Want to learn more? Check out the Children

and Nature Network at: childrenandnature.org

Check out South Sound Watersheds at: http://www.esd113.org/cms/lib3/WA01001093/Centricity/Domain/17/NatureJournalingforK-idsBooklet.pdf

Check out the International River of Words and Poetry Contest at: www.stmarys-ca.edu/center-for-environmental-literacy/river-of-words

To get outside and get involved, I pledge to:

12. GET OUTSIDE AND GET INVOLVED

D. Enter a nature drawing or poem in the River of Words International Art and Poetry Contest!

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Grays Harbor County Grays Harbor Conservation District (360) 249-5980 Grays Harbor PUD (360) 532-4220 Grays Harbor Recycling Information (360) 249-4222

www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us/info/pub_svcs/Recycle/index.htm WSU Grays Harbor Noxious Weeds (360) 482-2265

graysharbor.wsu.edu/weeds Household Hazardous Waste Drop off: 4201 Olympic Hwy (360) 538-7080

Every Wed. and 1st Sat. For Grays Harbor Stream Team, please contact Jane Atha Ph.D.,

Watershed Coordinator/Chehalis Basin Partnership and Grays Harbor; Mobile: 512-297-8743; Email: jatha@centralia.edu

Lewis County Lewis County Recycling Information (360) 740-1451

www.co.lewis.wa.us/communitydevelopment/SWU/ts-recyc.html Household Hazardous Waste Drop off: 1411 S. Tower Ave. (360) 740-1221

(April–Oct: Every Sat., Nov-March: 1st Sat. only) Lewis County Conservation District (360) 748-0083 Lewis County PUD (360) 748-9261 Centralia Stream Team, please contact: Kim Ashmore, City of Centralia at

kashmore@cityofcentralia.com.

13. RESOURCES

Artwork by Jessie Moyers

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13. RESOURCES

Volunteering in the

outdoors is a great way to get

outside and give back to your

community!

Thurston County Thurston County Environmental Health—

360-867-2500 (TDD 1-800-658-6384) Thurston Conservation District–

360-754-3588 LOTT Wastewater Treatment Plant-

360) 664-2333 Thurston County Solid Waste-

360-867-2491 Thurston County Household Hazardous

Waste Drop Off-(360) 867-2912 or email ThurstonSolidWaste@co.thurston.wa.us.

Thurston County Water Resources www.co.thurston.wa.us/waterresources

Stream Team (serving Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Thurston County)www.streamteam.info/

Capitol Land Trust (360) 943-3012 or capitollandtrust.org

Nisqually Land Trust (360) 489-3400 or nisquallylandtrust.org

Chehalis Land Trust 360-807-0764 or chehalislandtrust.org

Nisqually Stream Stewards 360-438-8687 x2143

Nature Deficit Disorder: Miranda Anderson at TedxKids@BC Youtube: http://youtu.be/OVdHgmFacfU

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14. GLOSSARY

Condensation: Warm air carries moisture (water vapor) upward in

the atmosphere, where it cools and forms clouds.

Evaporation: A body of water sheds moisture into the atmosphere.

Infiltration: Water enters soil, and becomes groundwater.

Impervious: any hard surface that prevents the flow of water into

the soil

Pervious: a type of surface that water can soak through.

Precipitation: Water stored in clouds falls to Earth as rain, or snow,

or sleet.

Runoff: Water travels across soil that is too wet to absorb it (soak it

up) and makes its way to a body of water.

Transpiration: Plants draw groundwater up from the Earth, and

shed moisture into the atmosphere.

Watershed: an area of land where all the water drains to a common

waterway such as a lake, river, or ocean.

What words do you think should be added to this glossary list?

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Page 2

www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html Interactive web based water cycle

Page 4 Coho study facts—http://www.cityofcentralia.com/Page.asp?NavID=134

Page 7 (Surf the web at cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm to find out what watershed

you live in.)

www.allaboutwater.org/water-facts.html)

Page 8 www.psp.wa.gov/vitalsigns/swimming_beaches.php) Page 10 streamteam.info/pdf/current.pdf. mudsnails.com www.streamteam.info/getinvolved/learn/salmonviewing/ Page 13 fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/0904017.pdf Page 15 mynorthwest.com/?nid=189&sid=683716 Page 17 www.clearchoicescleanwater.org/pets/pet-poo-impacts/ Page 24 www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/hydro.html Page 25 www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School.aspx Page 30 Nisqually Watershed Information: nisquallyriver.org/nisqually-river-education-project/nrep-resource-page/

15. SOURCES USED (PARTIAL LIST)

35

Chehalis Watershed Pledge Card

Thank you for everything you’re already doing to protect the Chehalis watershed! To keep the watershed healthy and improve some areas that

have challenges now, we can all do a little more.

Go back into the booklet and review the numbered activities. Then come back to this pledge card. Check √ the activities you are

currently practicing and circle the new activities you would like to adopt (the corresponding pledge list is below. )

Fill out and return this card by December 1, 2014 to your CBEC Teacher. Your name will be entered into a drawing for a prize such as a reusable

water bottle, lunch bag, or another cool sustainable prize!

4 - Getting Started A B C D

5 - Hazards in the Home: A B C D

6 - Hazards in the Yard and Garden: A B C D E

7 - Scoop That Poop: A B C D E F

8 - Car Waste: A B C D E F

Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

School Teacher: ___________________________________________________________________

School Address: ___________________________________________________________________

School Phone Number: _________________________________________________

9 - Trash: A B C D E F G

10 - Power Down and Lights Out: A B C D E

11 - Recreation: A B C D E

12 - Get Outside and Get Involved: A B C D E

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16. CHEHALIS WATERSHED PLEDGE

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Did you know that Seattle was named after Chief Seattle (Seathl), the Duwamish tribal Chief? Legend states that Chief Seattle once said,

“All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life;

he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

Photo Courtesy of: digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/loc/id/2062/rec/15

This booklet was created in partnership with the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium, Capital Region Educational Service District 113,

(CR-ESD 113), the Nisqually River Education Project, Nisqually River Foundation, and South Sound GREEN Thurston Conservation

District. Funding for the Chehalis Watershed pledge version of this booklet was provided by CR-ESD 113 and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.