Stream Team programs will empower you to be part of restoring and protecting our local waters and regional watershed.
We invite you to be part of the Stream Team!
Stream Team programs will offer a fun and rewarding way to protect and improve local streams, rivers and our watershed. All ages and backgrounds can get involved and we welcome any level of involvement you choose to take. Perhaps you’d like to attend a free workshop or class and learn more about what you can do to protect our water resources, maybe you’d like to work at a clean up day. Many Stream Team events are free and open to everyone. You can participate individually, or bring your family, friends or members of your community group.
The Stream Team initiatives are supported by grants from Illinois American Water and the Colonel Robert H. Morse Foundation.
Welty Environmental Center is our programming partner for Stream Team programs and all programs will be held at the Confluence Learning Center starting in mid-June 2017.
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What Does The Stream Team Work To Protect?
These rivers and streams are part of the Mississippi and Rock River Watershed.
- Turtle Creek – flows from Wisconsin into the Rock River right at NATC property.
Kelley Creek – This is a buried creek that daylights right on NATC property and flows into the Rock River. Nothing is known about Kelly Creek’s origin as it is completely covered by the City of South Beloit and its water quality has never been assessed.- Rock River – We are located at the halfway point along this 320 mile National Water Trail.
Stream Team Programs
These programs will form the foundation for sustainable programming at NATC.
Citizen Science Stream Monitoring Program – Youth and Adult programs to be held to establish baseline data.- Stormwater Stewards – Rain Barrel & Container Gardening Program to be held
- Watershed Education – Watershed Interpretive Signage that educates visitors about the Mississippi /Rock River Basin Watershed. It will have an attached rack card holder with informational rack card they can take with
- Invasives Removal & Creek Clean Up – Kelley Creek bank restoration, Turtle Creek cleanup
- Macroinvertebrate Study & Monitoring – Baseline assessment performed on Turtle Creek, Kelley Creek
- Educator Workshop: Project Wet to introduce this curriculum to surrounding schools
Stream Team Program Objectives
- Obtain baseline water quality data for Kelly Creek and Turtle Creek.
- Galvanize community involvement and reconnect people to their river and streams.
- Educate and engage youth and adults in taking ownership and interest in clean water, and community revitalization.
- Develop a corps of volunteers that will help NATC sustain programming and development of Nature At The Confluence.
- Improve access to Kelly Creek, improve its shoreline and learn more about its water quality.
- Develop a corps of stream stewards ensuring not only the collection of needed water quality data but also enable volunteers to become advocates for sustainable watershed management.
- Educate the community about watershed issues and how they can make a positive impact.
- Educate the community about storm water and how they can make a positive impact.
- Educate the community about container gardening and rain barrels and how they can reduce water usage.
- Equip educators to better engage their students in learning about water quality and watershed issues.
