Waterkeeper Wednesday

It’s officially spring and with that people are leaving there homes and heading outdoors. Over the course of the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing information about a great organization in town who has and is continuing to do amazing things for our waterways.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper protects and restores our water and the surrounding ecosystems and helps prevent new pollution from forming. Getting the community involved and connecting people to the water through the variety of programs they lead inspires those involved to do more.

PROTECT. RESTORE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.

I sat down with Chris Murawski, Director of Community Engagement from Waterkeeper to learn more about the organization, programs and events that are coming up and just general information we should all know as we head to our waterways as the warm weather approaches.

One of Chris’s roles is to educate the community on issues with our waterways and how we can help. His role is also about listening to the community and addressing what the community needs, the problems we face and inspiring people to do more, get more involved and help with hands on activities Waterkeeper hosts.

photo courtesy of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

As most are aware this past Monday was Earth Day and Waterkeeper spent the day planting trees at Ellicott Creek Park. Why are trees important to us? “They help 1. Reduce pollution that goes into our waterways. 2. Provide habitat for wildlife. 3. Improve water quality along shorelines. “ - BN Waterkeeper

In case you missed out on Earth Day festivities, don’t worry this coming Saturday, Waterkeeper is hosting another tree planting event from 1-4 p.m. at Ellicott Creek Park. You can register for the event here - Ellicott Creek Planting

Image courtesy of BN Waterkeeper

And if that’s not enough you can join Waterkeeper (and myself) on May 11th for their Shoreline Sweep from 10-12 p.m. There are multiple locations you can chose from and can find a complete list here - Spring Shoreline Sweep 

Next week I’ll be diving more into information on the Shoreline Sweep and why it’s so important to the region, the “Un-Gala” Fundraiser and Waterkeeper Weekend, so stay tuned!

-B