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Paddling on the Potomac River
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A watershed is an area of land from which
rainwater and snowmelt drain into a particular river, stream, or
lake - everyone lives in a watershed! Unlike political boundaries
such as states, counties and cities or townships, watersheds are
natural boundaries and are therefore very useful in efforts to protect
the natural environment. Everything that occurs on the land in a
watershed can have an impact on the quality and quantity of water
within the watershed.
Community watershed organizations (CWOs) are groups interested
in protecting and restoring their watershed. Watershed organizations
engage in conservation activities such as stream clean ups, tree
plantings, and water quality monitoring and often lead environmental
education and recreational events. Because watersheds often cross
political boundaries, CWOs are important in the watershed management
planning process. Watershed organizations often initiate the watershed
management planning process, help engage state and local governments
in creating and implementing watershed
management plans, and represent citizen interests during the
planning process.
The ICPRB is an important resource to community watershed organizations.
We provide information on creating a watershed
management plan, grant and funding
opportunities, and web-based and print
resources. Additionally we are a source of free publicity for
CWOs through our directory of community
watershed organizations, an online calendar
of events, and a monthly spotlight
on a community watershed organization.
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