A quick trip south from Charleston, WV led me to the Big Ugly Community Center where Step by Step, a regional nonprofit organization hosted their FLOW Day of Service. There on a beautiful Saturday, a large group of youth and adults gathered to celebrate their watershed and participate in service. Step by Step received a Learn and Serve Project FLOW grant to provide watershed service-learning to young people in several communities. Participants from the different sites gather periodically to meet and discuss water quality issues and their communities. This day was one of those engaging events.
While munching on a scone, I listened to the importance of properly maintaining and periodically pumping home septic systems. I am also reminded how much elementary and middle schoolers find the word “poop” to be funny. And you know what? They are right, it is a funny word. The participants divided into small, age-appropriate groups and discussed how and what they could do to improve where they lived. A lively first grader named Katherine clearly and often spoke on the need to recycle, reuse items, and pick up trash. Others in the group agreed with her and also added native tree and flower plantings as something they could do to improve their community.
The afternoon was dedicated to service projects. The folks were divided into three groups. The first group recorded oral histories of adults living in the area about past and present uses of water. Although I am not quite as old as they needed, I volunteered to be an interviewee and discussed watershed health. I must admit I am not one for the limelight and found the entire experience frightful but am glad I did it.
The second service project was a trash cleanup along Big Ugly creek. I could tell that the group has completed this service before by the ease and organized manner youth put on gloves and grab a trash bag. Several put on waiters and waded out to get the trash while others just walked in the shallow stream and gathered plastic bottles and rubbish. I am always amazed at what ends up in our water.
The third service project was planting native dogwood trees along the creek bank. Mark Buchannan from the West Virginia Conservation Agency spent a Saturday attending the event and training youth on how to plant these seedlings. He also reinforced the importance of establishing a riparian buffer for the stream.
As I said goodbye to the service-filled day, I hope to return next year and see how well the trees I helped plant are growing.