WHAT'S A WATERSHED?
A watershed is the land that water flows across or under on its way to a stream, river or lake.
HOW DO WATERSHEDS WORK?
The landscape is made up of many interconnected basins, or watersheds. Within each watershed, all water runs to the lowest point - a stream, river or lake. On its way, water travels over the surface and across the farm fields, forest land, suburban lawns, and city streets, or it seeps into the soil and travels as ground water. Large watersheds like the ones for the Mississippi River, Columbia River, and Chesapeake Bay are made up of many smaller watersheds across several sits.
ARE ALL WATERSHEDS THE SAME?
Not at all. Watersheds come in many different shapes and sizes and have many different features. Watersheds can have hills or mountains or be nearly flat. They can have farmland, rangeland, small towns, and big cities. Parts of your watershed may be rough, rocky, or marshy and make them suitable only for certain trees, plants, and wildlife.
YOUR WATERSHED COMMUNITY
Everyone lives in a watershed. You and everyone in your watershed are part of the watershed community. The animals, birds, and fish are too. You influence what happens in your watershed, good or bad, by how you treat the natural resources - the soil, water, air, plants, and animals. What happens in your small watershed also affects the larger watershed downstream.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO
KEEP YOUR WATERSHED HEALTHY?
On the farm. Keep plant residue on the surface of sloping cropland. This reduces runoff and prevents sediment, fertilizers, and pesticides from entering streams, rivers, lakes and ponds.
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At home. Landscape your yard with plants that need a minimum of water and fertilizer. Use only the amount of fertilizers and pesticides that plants need. Plant native species whenever possible.
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In your community. Protect wetlands that serve as natural buffers against pollution, soil erosion, and flooding.
HOW CAN I HELP PROTECT THE WATERSHED OF GLADE RUN LAKE?
Donate
Support the GRLC by making a one-time donation or becoming a monthly contributor. For local and regional businesses, join the Russ Matchett Society. If you're an online shopper, consider setting your Amazon Smile charity to Glade Run Lake Conservancy.
Many of the donations received by GRLC will be allocated for land acquisition within the watershed to protect the lake's pristine water quality and ensure that urban development does not occur inside the boundary of the watershed.
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Volunteer
Donate your time by helping steward the lake and its surrounding park land. Volunteers are needed to clean up litter, maintain the hiking trail, build and install wildlife roosting boxes, and plant native trees and shrubs.