WSP12534

• File Number: 8282.400
• Description: Colorado River Operations and Accounting - Deliveries to Mexico
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 3/1/2000
• Author: Unknown
• Title: New Report Compiles Data on Dam Removals - Excerpted from Nonpoint Source News-Notes - Number 60 - 03-01-00
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

Livin' La Agua Pura
- Educating the
Latino Community
About Clean Water
(continued)

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Second, curricula must be appropriate for the Latino youth audience. The experiences of youth
leaders and educators have shown that "a number of educational resources written in Spanish are
poorly translated, leading to a communication breakdown," explained Thompson. "We must
remember to account for the many types of Latino backgrounds - Mexican, South American,
and Central American. Sometimes their languages differ slightly." Institute participants also noted
that Latino youth seem to enjoy the inclusion of Latino history and graphics relevant to their
culture in their curricula.

The workshop was a success. The participants gave high ratings to all workshop topics on the
evaluation forms, but most noted that the Latino outreach discussion and the artistic connection
topics on the second day were the most useful. Many participants also commented that the
workshop gave them great insight into working with Latino youth and their families. The ERC
will use the information gathered from this workshop to develop a guide to help other youth
leaders provide watershed education to people in underserved Latino communities. ERC expects
the guide to be available in April 2000.

Building on the success of the Agua Pura workshop, the University of California Cooperative
Extension has held a series of additional workshops in the Santa Barbara area, targeted to people
who work with the Latino community as well as Latino adults and children. Student interns have
been conducting streamwalks for Latino children and other community members. "People
generally don't pay much attention to their nearby creek. However, once you investigate it, you
become more interested," noted Marzolla. He sees the need for additional outreach and education
in the future for both the Latino community and those who teach them. "This really is a
long-term issue. Education doesn't happen overnight."

[For more information about the workshop, contact Molly Thompson, Give Water a Hand Program
Coordinator, University of Wisconsin Environmental Resources Center, 1450 Linden Drive, Room 216,
Madison, WI 53706. Phone: (800) WATER20; e-mail: [e-mail]. For information about the Latino
outreach efforts in Santa Barbara, contact Michael Marzolla, 4-H Youth Development Advisor, University
of California Cooperative Extension Service Santa Barbara County. 105 East Anapamu, Suite 5, Santa
Barbara, CA 93101. Phone: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail]]

Watershed Stewardship Training Leads to Community Commitment

Most people spend their Fridays at work waiting for five o'clock to roll around so their weekend fun
can begin, but for 10 weeks last fall several residents of Clark, Cowlitz, and Skamania counties in
Southwest Washington started their weekend fun a little early. Each Friday from September 17
through November 19, citizen volunteers attended a new watershed stewardship course to learn
ways to reduce the impact of storm water runoff from homes, roads, shops, and offices.

The course, offered by Washington State University Clark County Extension, emphasized
voluntary measures people can take to reduce the impact that surfaces such as roofs, roads,
sidewalks, and parking lots have on flooding and storm water pollution. The Watershed Stewards
of Southwest Washington, as they've come to be known, also learned ways to improve habitat for
fish, including the four endangered species of salmon that live in Clark County waters. In
addition, various presentations on how to incorporate watershed education into children's
programs were also given. Students learned about storm drain stenciling, 4-H, and other children's
programs that incorporate environmental education.

Kali Robison, the program's coordinator at Clark County Extension, stressed "there is a gap in
adult education when it comes to watershed protection. There are many programs targeted at
children, but we've found that adults tend to understand water quality problems more fully when
other adults are doing the teaching."

In exchange for the Friday training sessions, the participants commit to participating in several
watershed protection activities, including working with kids or other adults and helping to
organize watershed training events, wetland restorations, tree plantings, and more. At the
beginning of the course, Robison states, "We'll give you 60 hours of training if you give us
60 hours of your time and effort toward watershed stewardship." In September, 18 volunteers

24

NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS.NOTES

MARCH 2000, ISSUE '60