Last year, the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center got some exciting news. Their program, the Maumee River Floating Laboratory on Watershed Science (Maumee FLOWS – get it?) was awarded a 2021 B-WET grant by NOAA. These grants support projects related to outdoor, hands-on environmental education, and we get to assist with the stewardship!

Maumee FLOWS offers Toledo Public and urban charter school students a new view of their local river, focused on water science and stewardship. Teachers accepted into the program received special training on Maumee River geography, ecology, and water sampling during a summer workshop, and a special science cruise aboard the Sandpiper tour boat. The program also provides educational materials and stewardship project supplies.

This autumn, five middle and high school classes participated in their own Sandpiper science cruises. Students had the opportunity to test water chemistry, including pH, dissolved oxygen, and the presence of nitrates and phosphates, as well as water biology, sampling river sediment for macroinvertebrates and the water column for zooplankton.

Throughout the season, Partners for Clean Streams provided staff support for the science cruises, as well as instruction and supplies for stewardship projects. So far, classes have held two storm drain marking programs, and two Clean Your Streams 365 marine debris clean-ups.

Although colder weather has us putting a pause on outdoor activities, Partners for Clean Streams looks forward to lending our support once more in the spring of 2022.

This year, your contributions helped PCS adapt to changing circumstances and ramp up our programs in spite of challenges. Our success this year was only possible through the generosity of our donors, volunteers, and community partners like you.

What have we accomplished, thanks to you? In 2021, we modified our programs to include more opportunities to participate at a distance, while also phasing back safe, in-person programming. Clean Your Streams 365 saw 15 sites cleaned in 2019, 27 cleaned in 2020, and 62 cleaned in 2021 – about four times as many sites across two years! We offered more frequent Get the Lead Out clean-ups, allowing more volunteers to participate at more sites than the previous two years. PCS also had the opportunity to expand our marine debris prevention programs: more Storm Drain Marking, more Reel in and Recycle fishing line bins installed, and getting back to opportunities for education and outreach.

How can you help us maintain our momentum into 2022 and beyond? Going beyond Giving Tuesday, keep in mind that you can support PCS through your holiday purchases by linking your Kroger card or Amazon Smiles account. These services give a percentage of your purchases to keep your water clean, clear, and safe, at no extra cost to you! You can link your Kroger Plus Card with the instructions on our website, and connect your Amazon account to support us by searching “Partners for Clean Streams” on AmazonSmile.