What You Can Do
There are so many ways you can take action to improve our creeks on your own, with your neighbors, or in your communities.
Go Native!
Trees
Plant a native tree! Trees bring benefits to the community including shade, increased property values, and peace of mind. Trees protect our watershed and its residents by cleaning the air and water, reducing flooding and energy usage, and moderating temperatures.
Go Native Some More!
Plants
Let's Get Wild!
Meadows
Convert your lawn into a meadow! Meadows have lots of benefits including reduced costs for you and healthier creeks for all of us through improved management of polluted runoff.
Understanding the Issues
Today’s Challenges
The creeks in our watershed experience many problems caused by human development including impaired water quality from polluted runoff and combined sewage overflows, degraded aquatic and riparian habitat, steeply eroded streambanks, channelization, dumping, and litter.
When it rains, motor oil, antifreeze, and windshield wiper fluid from cars, and salt and sand from roads wash into storm drains that lead to streams and rivers, damaging our waterways. Polluted water from our streets floods our creeks, eroding stream banks, washing away natural stream habitats, and fouling ecosystems.
In many of our natural areas, we see a lot of trash. This litter comes from upstream and local runoff – many people don’t realize that storm drains lead directly to our creeks – as well as people just dropping their trash along a trail. Chip bags, candy wrappers, and cigarette butts discarded on sidewalks or out of car windows can make their way from the street through the storm drain system and into the creek. The compromised state of the creek’s health and aesthetics deters residents from enjoying it as a community asset.
Little Crum Creek Park should serve as a place for relaxation, recreation, inspiration, and community connection. This is part of the end-goal for Friends of Little Crum Creek Park.
Other Resources