The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth’s Office of Ecological Sustainability is partnering with New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future, a community non-profit organization based in Springfield, KY, to host “Stream Team” a monthly program empowering youth ages 9-18 to learn about and protect local waterways. This program is developed through curriculum from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, and is supported by the Nelson County 4-H program.
This program will bring youth and families to Nazareth once a month to learn about the importance of watersheds and, ultimately, to act as citizen scientists and to test the water quality of Froman Creek, which flows through Nazareth and connects to the Salt River Watershed. “Stream Team” aims to empower participants to recognize their role in caring for their watershed – an area of land where all runoff flows to a common point – and all life on Earth.
Watersheds are important because they represent the larger environmental reality that the entire environment is affected by how we treat our environment closer to home. At Nazareth, erosion control and filtration practices (such as maintaining buffer zones of plants around lakes) and land management strategies (such as tree plantings and maintaining forest health by removing invasive species) affect the water quality of Froman Creek, which affects the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico (eventually). Learning how to care for our waterways close to home has a big impact!
This program has been coordinated in line with the Sisters’ mission “to care for the earth” and in line with the Laudato Si’ Action Platform’s goal of environmental education.
If you know any families with youth ages 9-18, please share this program with them.
New Pioneers is simply THRILLED to be partnering with SCN on this effort! I can’t think of a better place to be than in the creek with a group of young scientists – and Miss Julia, of course!
What a wonderful opportunity! Thank you, SCNs and New Pioneers! Will share with our homeschool friends.
Grateful for the imaginative, inventive and pioneering work on environmental education for the young, the future scientists who will help sustain our planet!
Splendid, Amy! So glad this story found you and you’ll be able to share – that’ll be wonderful!
Sounds like a magnificent programme. Congratulations and blessings on those who are involved in the programme.
How wonder-filled! Sounds informative and enjoyable.
Sounds awesome ! Preparing youth to be responsible citizens scientists and care for the earth.
Best wishes !!!
Wow! Sounds like an awesome collaborative project.
Luke
So happy to see this partnership thriving!