Public Education
Quick Links:
Information and Technical Assistance Providers
Publications
Misc. Tools and Resources
| Information and Technical
Assistance Providers |
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Adopt Your Watershed
Profiles the more than 500 active volunteer monitoring groups
and more than 1,000 watershed alliances already working nationwide.
Citizens can learn more about opportunities to join an organized
effort in their area.
http://www.epa.gov/adopt
Center for Watershed Protection
Provides objective and scientifically sound information on effective
techniques to protect and restore urban watersheds. Also serves
as a technical resource for local governments around the country
to develop more effective urban storm water and watershed protection
programs.
http://www.cwp.org
Clean Water Network
An alliance of over 1000 organizations that endorse the National
Agenda for Clean Water. which outlines the need for strong clean
water safeguards in order to protect public health and the environment.
http://www.cwn.org/
Conservation Technology Information Center
A non-profit, public-private partnership working to equip agriculture
with realistic, affordable, and integrated solutions to environmental
concerns.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu
EPA Center for Environmental Information and Statistics
EPA’s one-stop source providing public access to EPA’s
information resources. Environmental Profiles are available for
each state, county, and territory in the U.S. with information
on air quality, drinking water and surface water quality, and
the management of hazardous waste and toxic chemicals in a county.
http://www.epa.gov/ceis
EPA Community-Based Environmental Protection
Community-Based Environmental Protection integrates environmental
management with human needs, considers long-term ecosystem health,
and highlights the positive correlations between economic prosperity
and environmental well being.
http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/
EPA Concerned Citizens Resources
Become familiar with environmental issues and potential environmental
and human health risks caused by pollution. Learn how you, your
family, and your community can protect the environment.
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/citizen.htm
EPA EnviroFacts Warehouse
Allows you to retrieve environmental information from EPA databases
on Superfund sites, drinking water, toxic and air releases, hazardous
waste, and water discharge permits.
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/index_java.html
EPA EnviroMapper
Offers a dynamic way to use maps to see environmental information
online. Users can create a custom map of any U.S. area, featuring
the types of environmental and geographic information they select.
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/index.html
EPA Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water
This site focuses on water-quality related programs and resources,
including: Source Water Protection: Surface and Ground Water;
Public Drinking Water Supply Programs; Drinking Water and Health
Basics; Local Drinking Water Information; Drinking Water Standards
Program; and Underground Injection Control.
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw
EPA Office of Water
EPA’s main Internet site for water-related information
and resources. The site offers access to dozens of water-related
topics, including water pollution and water quality, drinking
water protection, groundwater protection, industrial wastewater,
municipal wastewater treatment, and much more. Features include:
http://www.epa.gov/ow
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System
Contains information about public water systems and their violations
of EPA's regulations for safe drinking water.
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/sdwis/sdwis_ov.html
Ground Water Protection Council
A nonprofit organization representing state and federal groundwater
agencies, industry representatives, environmentalists, and concerned
citizens – all dedicated to the protection of the nation’s
groundwater supplies.
http://gwpc.site.net
Kansas Rural Center
http://www.kansasruralcenter.org
Save Our Streams
A grassroots river conservation program of the Izaak Walton League
of America that helps people to monitor, protect and restore
their waterways.
http://www.iwla.org/SOS
Surf Your Watershed
Offers extensive information on local water resources.
http://www.epa.gov/surf
Watershed Information Network
Billed as a “roadmap to information and resources for protecting
and restoring water resources,” this site is an excellent
starting point in learning about watersheds.
http://www.epa.gov/win
| Publications |
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Better Site Design:
A Handbook for Changing Development Rules in Your Community
The companion guide to Consensus Agreement on Model Development
Principles to Protect our Streams, Lakes, and Wetlands. Provides
detailed rationale for each of the principles and examines current
practices in local communities, potential barriers to implementation,
economic and environmental benefits, and case studies from across
the country.
http://www.cwp.org
Bridge Builder: A Guide for Watershed Partnerships
Assists local watershed partnerships addressing issues affecting
water quality.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/CTIC/Catalog/WatershedManagement.html
Building Local Partnerships Guide
Describes who should be involved and what they can bring to the
group.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/BuildingLocal.html
Citizen’s Guide to Ground Water
Protection
Assists citizens in becoming more actively involved in protecting
community groundwater supplies.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/protect/citguide.html
The Clean Water Act: An Owner's Manual
A comprehensive manual for people who want to clean up their
rivers, streams and watersheds. This down-to-earth, information-packed
book explains crucial sections of the Clean Water Act, points
out how to get involved in regulatory decisions, and tells the
stories of others who've done so.
http://www.rivernetwork.org
Clean Water in Your Watershed: A Citizens Guide to Watershed
Protection
Focusing on the citizen's role in protecting watersheds, this
colorfully illustrated guide helps citizen groups work with local,
state and federal government agencies to successfully design
and complete a watershed protection or restoration project.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Community-Based Environmental Protection:
A Resource Book for Protecting Ecosystems and Communities
A citizen's handbook for initiating community-based environmental
protection projects. (publication # EPA 230-B-96-003)
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
Directory of Funding Sources for Grassroots
River and Watershed Conservation Groups
Profiles of private, corporate and federal funding sources for
river and watershed groups. Includes name, address, phone number,
contact name, deadlines, and a brief description of each source's
particular interests.
http://www.rivernetwork.org
Educating Young People About Water
Assists educators with developing a community-based, youth water
education program that targets youth and links key community
members in partnerships – all working toward common water
education goals.
http://www.uwex.edu/erc/ywc
Everything You Wanted to Know About Environmental Regulations...
But Were Afraid to Ask – A Guide
for Kansas Communities
http://www.kdhe.state.ks.us/environment/evrythng.html
Getting in Step: A Guide to Effective Outreach in Your Watershed
Provides tools to develop and implement an effective watershed
outreach plan.
http://www.statesnews.org/clip/policy/step.pdf
Getting to Know Your Local Watershed Guide
Describes the information needed and where to get it to put together
a successful watershed management plan.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/GetToKnow.html
Give Water A Hand Youth Action Guide & Leader
Guidebook
A national watershed education program designed to involve young
people in local environmental service projects.
http://www.uwex.edu/erc
Guide to Environmental Issues
Offers basic information on numerous environmental topics.
http://www.epa.gov/epadocs/guide
Handle With Care: Your Guide to Preventing Water Pollution
How to pollution-proof your home and take personal responsibility
for pollution prevention: the prevailing and most authoritative
citizens' guide to protecting water quality.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
How to Save a River
Provides an important overview of the resource issues involved
in river protection, and suggests sources for further investigation.
http://www.rivernetwork.org
It's YOUR Drinking Water: Get to Know it and Protect it!
Describes how the right-to-know provisions of the Safe Drinking
Water Act can help you learn about and protect your drinking
water.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/consumer/itsyours.pdf
Kids Can Help Save Our Streams
A brochure, targeted to children, that lists sources of pollution
in streams and suggests activities for children that will help
save streams. (publication # EPA840-F-96-900)
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
KSWiM
A volunteer monitoring network for high school and middle school
students coordinated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
http://www.kdhe.state.ks.us/kswim
Lake Smarts: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Solving Lake Problems
A how-to manual of field-tested, easy and affordable projects
to help you clean up, improve and maintain the lakes and ponds
in your community.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Lakewalk Manual:
A Guidebook for Citizen Participation
A tool for citizens to use in assessing and protecting lakes.
(publication # EPA910-B-95-007)
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
Leading & Communicating Guide
Describes the skills needed (and serves to refresh your skills)
to facilitate a diverse partnership of stakeholders.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/LeadingCom.html
Managing Conflict Guide
Describes how you can turn conflict into a healthy discussion
resulting in viable ideas.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/ManageConflict.html
Nonpoint Source News Notes
A periodic newsletter focusing on the condition of the water-related
environment, the control of nonpoint sources of water pollution,
and the ecological management and restoration of watersheds.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/info/NewsNotes/
People, Places, and Partnerships:
A Progress Report on Community-Based Environmental Protection
This report describes the community-based environmental protection
(CBEP) approach and its elements, including its place-based or
geographic focus.
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
Pollution Begins – and Ends – With You
This full-color poster illustrates nine common sources of waste,
from lawn fertilizers to zinc from aging pipes.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Public Involvement in Environmental Permits: A Reference Guide
A valuable resource for communities and local governments who
want to learn more about environmental permits and when they
can engage in the process. Particularly useful for local governments
seeking to develop methods of conducting public participation.
http://www.epa.gov/permits/publicguide.htm
Putting Together a Watershed Management Plan Guide
Describes the process of putting together a plan that all with
a stake in the watershed can agree to implement.
Restoring Streams in Cities: A Guide for Planners, Policymakers
and Citizens
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/PutTogether.html
Offers alternatives to traditional practices that can be used
both to prevent and repair ecological damage to streams.
http://www.islandpress.org
Riparian Area Management: A Citizen's Guide
Offers practical tips, definitions, and illustrations to help
riparian landowners avoid the pitfalls of improper stream management.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/CTIC/Catalog/WatershedManagement.html
River Talk: Communicating a Watershed Message
A hands-on guide for people who want to be more efficient and
effective in encouraging key sectors of their communities to
get involved in designing a river-and watershed-friendly future
together.
http://www.rivernetwork.org
Rural Water Quality: Sound Management Makes It Happen
This full-color friendly poster illustrates some of the many
ways such water pollution can be prevented in rural America.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Starting Up: A Handbook for New River and Watershed Organizations
Provides information about how to run a successful river or watershed
organization.
http://www.rivernetwork.org
Urban Community Kit
Designed for use by citizen and community groups to increase
understanding and help get involved in urban watershed issues.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Urban Water Quality: Sound Management Makes It Happen
This poster illustrates some of the many ways water pollution
can be prevented in your community.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Views from Your Lake: A Choice, An Action
This full-color poster depicts a lake view divided in two, one
half illustrating the impacts of environmental stressors, the
other half illustrating environmentally friendly approaches.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Visual Tools for Watershed Education
A report that focuses on how visual tools such as maps, graphics,
models, and stories can help leaders, teachers, and the media
communicate meaningfully on the concept of watersheds.
http://www.neetf.org/pubs/watershedfinal.pdf
Walk Your Watershed Festival Organizing Kit
This kit outlines practical advice on getting started, choosing
activities, finding volunteers and securing financial support.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/CTIC/Catalog/WatershedManagement.html
Water Education – A Handbook
A water celebration is a one-to three-day event to entertain
and educate a community, a school, or a single class about the
importance of water.
http://www.montana.edu/http://wwwwater/index.html
Water On Tap: A Consumer’s Guide to the Nation’s
Drinking Water
Discusses the quality of and concerns about drinking water in
the U.S.
(publication # EPA815K97002)
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
Water Quality Indicators Guide: Surface Waters
Concerned about conditions in your neighborhood stream or lake?
Follow the step-by-step process in this guide to find out what
the problems are – and how to address them.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Water Quality Information Center
Provides electronic access to a broad range of information on
water quality and agriculture.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic
Water Science for Schools
Sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, this Internet site provides
an opportunity for kids to explore a variety of water-related
information, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive
center where kids can test their water knowledge.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu
The Water Story
Published in cooperation with Project WET, this supplement is
designed for upper elementary and middle school students. In
telling the story of water, this publication provides young readers
with a variety of creative, hands-on activities, projects, games,
a poster and valuable information about water.
http://www.montana.edu/http://wwwwater/index.html
Watershed and Wetlands Kit
A teacher's activity and resource kit for use with all ages,
providing teachers with information to teach the basics of watersheds
and wetlands.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Watershed Community Kit
Developed for use by citizen and community groups to increase
understanding and encourage involvement in watershed issues in
their own communities.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Watershed Management: A Community Process
This full-color friendly poster provides an overview of a watershed
and the roles that we can play to protect as well as enjoy the
environment around us.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Watershed Management Starter Kit
Want to start a watershed management partnership for your local
watershed?
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/CTIC/Catalog/WatershedManagement.html
Watershed Management: Stop Pollution at its Source
This poster illustrates some of the many sources of nonpoint
source pollution and ways that it can be prevented.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Wetlands Are Wonderlands Student Activity Packet
An educational packet for elementary and middle school students
that includes a series of nine posters and a student activity
page with puzzles.
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
Misc. Tools and Resources
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Blue Thumb Project / Drinking Water Week
The Blue Thumb project is an ongoing campaign to raise public
awareness and understanding of drinking water issues and to motivate
individuals, organizations, communities and local governments
to make water-responsible choices. The project is designed for
use year round, but especially during Drinking Water Week in
May. Drinking Water Week occurs early in May each year. Educational
events are held throughout the week in libraries, schools, drinking
water treatment plants, shopping malls, and city halls. Groups
schedule river cleanups, hazardous waste collections, and other
water pollution-fighting efforts.
http://www.awwa.org/bluethumb
Children's Groundwater Festival
An enormously successful way to educate children (and adults)
about water and other water-related resources.
http://www.groundwater.org/KidsCorner/festival.htm
Environmental Planning for Small Communities
A software program offers a complete one-stop introduction to
a wide range of environmental issues and decisions that affect
small to medium-sized communities.
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/seahome/trilogy.html
EPA Grant-Writing Tutorial
This interactive software tool walks the user through the grant-writing
process and helps them learn to write more competitive grants.
http://www.epa.gov/seahome/grants.html
EPA Major Environmental Laws
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/laws.htm
EPA National Environmental Publications Internet Site
EPA's largest electronic documents site allows you to search
view and print, including full images of all original pages and
full-text, from a collection of over 7,000 archival and current
documents. This collection may include documents that are no
longer available in print form.
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom/nepishom
EPA National Service Center for Environmental Publications
A clearinghouse for EPA publications.
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom
Farm-A-Syst /Home-A-Syst
Supports the voluntary efforts of farmers, ranchers, and urban
and rural residents in protecting the quality of the environment
by building awareness of how activities pose pollution risks,
as well as the importance of water quality and environmental
protection.
http://www.wisc.edu/farmasyst/
http://www.uwex.edu/homeasyst/
In Our Backyard: A Guide to Understanding Pollution and Its Effects
An excellent source of environmental facts supplied without technical
jargon or political agenda. It addresses vital questions on everything
from drinking water quality to the cost of toxic controls and
cleanups, and consumer decision-making.
http://www.terrene.org/catalog.htm
Internet Watershed Educational Tool
Provides a technical and multi-perspective response to local
watershed issues intended to help educate local officials and
other concerned citizens about water resources.
http://server.age.psu.edu/dept/grads/parson/research/home.htm
Kansas Environmental Leadership Program
A training program featuring activities and resources that combines
current leadership studies and practice with current thinking
and research on water and water quality.
http://www.bae.ksu.edu/kelp
KDHE Division of Environment Service Guide
A directory of KDHE offices and programs, listed by issue.
http://www.kdhe.state.ks.us/environment/servguid.html
Plain English Briefs of Environment Laws
http://lgean.org/html/english.cfm
Plain English Regulatory Guides & Fact
Sheets
http://lgean.org/html/englishreg.cfm
Safe Drinking Water Hotline
Phone: 800 / 426-479
E-Mail: hotline-sdwa@epamail.epa.gov
Assists the public with information about EPA regulations and
programs, including drinking water regulations, wellhead protection,
and ground water protection program information.
Water Efficient Landscape Planner
Covers the basics of landscape planning and provides guidelines
and suggestions to help users select the most appropriate plants
for their needs. Intended for use by homeowners who are considering
changes to residential landscaping.
http://www.epa.gov/seahome/landscp.html
