Thank you and congratulations to the 70 young Scouts that attended the Youth Patch Day Workshop on Sunday, March 8th. Groups of energetic Boy and Girl Scouts from kindergarten through fifth grade earned the blue and white embroidered Partnering for Clean Streams Patch by participating in various water education activities. Water quality professionals taught the children how to become educated and active stewards of our water resources through hands-on activities. Participants played in dirt and discovered various water-loving insects, made their own fishing line recycling bin, learned about agricultural runoff, painted a protective storm drain message and explored how water is treated so it is safe for us to drink. The Workshop highlighted how we are all part of a larger balancing act between nature and people. Too much or too little of something, like water, nutrients, pollution, insects or other animals can really throw that delicate balance out of whack.
Many of the participants of the Workshop were excited to come back next year. One parent commented “The kids loved it! We would love to come back next year” and another pointed out that “This is a way to put knowledge into the kids’ hands!” A huge thank you goes out to all those who participated and all those professionals who made the event possible, including Cherie Blair, Andrea Beard, Jen Huber, Jamie Kochensparger, Cheryl Rice, Patrick Lawrence, Richard Kroeger, Ann Keefe, Kari Gerwin, and Lauren Rush. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s workshop!