Admin Table of Contents
How do watersheds impact our lives?
Healthy watersheds provide many ecosystem services including, but not limited to: nutrient cycling, carbon storage, erosion/sedimentation control, increased biodiversity, soil formation, wildlife movement corridors, water storage, water filtration, flood control, food, timber and recreation, as well as reduced …
How important are watershed to humans?
Why Do We Need Healthy Watersheds? Watersheds sustain life, in more ways than one. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than $450 billion in foods, fiber, manufactured goods and tourism depend on clean, healthy watersheds. That is why proper watershed protection is necessary to you and your community.
Do animals live in watersheds?
Reptiles like turtles and snakes find a home in streams, creeks, ponds and lakes. Mammals: Deer, squirrels, mice, bats, rabbits, skunks, and chipmunks are easy to spot on land and around water bodies. Birds: Hawks, owls, eagles, finches and other species rely on watersheds as a source of water.
Do all humans live on a watershed?
Yes! Everyone lives in a watershed. Remember, not all water in a watershed is above ground. Even in the desert, there are underground rivers and aquifers where water flows.
Why is a watershed important to all living things?
A watershed – the land area that drains to a stream, lake or river – affects the water quality in the water body that it surrounds. Healthy watersheds provide critical services, such as clean drinking water, productive fisheries, and outdoor recreation, that support our economies, environment and quality of life.
How does the watershed affect our economy?
Healthy intact watersheds provide many ecosystem services that are necessary for our social and economic well-being. These services include water filtration and storage, air filtration, carbon storage, nutrient cycling, soil formation, recreation, food and timber.
What lives in a watershed?
Most mammals within the watershed are forest inhabitants and include species such as chipmunks (Tamias striatus), deer mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) and black bear (Ursus americanus).
Why are watershed important to wildlife?
Watersheds are more than just drainage areas in and around our communities. They are necessary to support habitat for plants and animals, and they provide drinking water for people and wildlife. They also provide the opportunity for recreation and enjoyment of nature.
How would your life be different if watersheds did not exist?
Unhealthy watersheds affect wildlife. The polluted water supply that results can become harmful to humans. If the water picks up enough soil over time, the land along that stream will become unstable and eventually erode away. If you live along a river bank, this could mean losing your backyard.
How are all of the people living in the same watershed connected?
One example of how we are all connected to living and non-living organisms is through watersheds. When rain falls onto the land, it soaks into the ground or runs off into small channels or streams. These small streams then flow into bigger rivers or lakes.