Education Stations

The mission of Riverfest is to preserve, protect and promote the Fort Wayne Rivers by raising awareness through education and fun.

Education Stations will be located in four areas at RiverFest 2011, involving 22 watershed related groups.  These stations will spread the “education experience” and by being available to answer questions about the rivers for festival goers.  The purpose of this effort is to fulfill the “education” component of the RiverFest mission.

The preservation and protection of Ft. Wayne’s rivers is a task larger than the city limits. It requires a “watershed” mentality to provide what the community desires as useable waterways. Most of these organizations have been working for years, for some only a few years, to preserve and protect our waterways that make up and include the Fort Wayne Rivers. Unfortunately, very few citizens know about or understand the work these groups undertake.

Involving these groups in RiverFest in not meant to be a dry, boring experience. Instead, these groups desire to engage and empower citizens to become involved in numerous opportunities. These organizations understand that to captivate the public’s interest they need to provide an engaging experience that leaves a lasting impression on how each of us has a part to play in the protection and preservation of our water assets. A better educated community will certainly lead to accomplishing the mission of RiverFest.

The activities at the Education Stations will include, engaging questions and conversation, examples of the work being done, literature about each organization, upcoming opportunities to become involved, and an opportunity for RiverFest attendees to share their vision of what they would like to see in the future for our water resources.

Education Station I – FamilyFest  #14, east side of river

These groups will provide information about the regions waters, answer questions, and provide information about how the agriculture community (65% of land use in NE Indiana) is helping to improve water quality.

Allen County Soil and Conservation District
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Acres

Education Station II –FamilyFest  #28, east side of river 

These groups will have fun hands on activities for the family:

Allen County Partnership for Water Quality
Little River Wetlands Project
Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor

Education Station III– Pontoon Rides, east side of river

These groups will provide information about the regions waters, answer like questions and provide opportunities to become involved in watershed and water related activities.

Friends Of the Rivers
St. Mary’s River Watershed Project
Maumee River Basin Commission
Ft. Wayne Trails
Hoosier River Watch
Friends Of The Parks

Education Station  IV – Canoe and Kayak Rides, west side of river

These groups will provide information about the regions waters, answer like questions and provide opportunities to become involved in watershed and water related activities.

St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative
Upper Maumee River Watershed Partnership
Save Maumee
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Nature Conservancy
Indiana Wildlife Federation

Find an Education Station at the IPFW RiverFest 2011.

IPFW RiverFest 2011 River Q & A

Written by Dan Wire

• What is the number one pollutant to the rivers?
 Sediment from farms, construction sites, and roadways

• How dangerous are the rivers?  Currents?  Pollution?
 Most of the time the rivers are very safe. The river currents are very slow or stopped unless there is a flooding situation. There is never a concern about pollution for boating activities. There are only advisories about full body contact. For the St. Joe River, it is only a problem for a day or two after a rain. The St Mary’s and Maumee exceed full body contact 20-40% of the time. Again the concern is FULL BODY CONTACT. A splash, hand getting a fish off the hook, or a little wading is not a problem.

• What can you do on the rivers?
 Boating, all types.
 Fishing, there is a consumption advisory that is posted on the DNR web site. It varies for each river and type of fish. Simply put, you can eat the fish but not a lot.
 Bike and hike along the rivers. Enjoy the rivers running through our parks.

• What’s goin’ down with the brown color?
 See answer number 1

• Can I drink river water?
 Everyone already does. That is where the City water comes from. Certainly do not drink it directly from the river. However, most municipalities get their water supply from surface waters; rivers, lakes and streams so everyone should be mindful of what they discard into the waterways.

• Where does our drinking water come from?  City?  County?
 See previous answer. Only very small communities get their water from underground wells.

• Why should I care?
 There is a fixed amount of water in the world. It is all recycled. The better citizens take care of the natural waters the more benefit we all receive.

• What kind of fish are in the rivers?
 See the DNR web site. Just about every lake and river fish you can mane has been caught in our rivers. Some are more numerous than others .

• Can I eat the fish?
 See -   What can you do on the rivers?

• Do we still flood?
 Yes! However, the areas of high density development (i.e. neighborhoods and businesses) have been protected by levees. For those that are not, the only way to protect them are to buyout these properties and remove them from the floodplain. It is important to let floodwaters flow over the banks onto unimproved areas and to not fill in these critical areas with more development. The newfloodplain development initiative simply states: “No adverse impact can occur as a result on a proposed development project.” SIMPLE!

• Are we safe from flooding?
 See previous answer.

• Where are the access points for canoes, kayaks, boats?
 Within Ft. Wayne, there are only three: Shoaff Park, Johnny Appleseed Park and Guildin Park. There needs to be more, specifically for canoes and kayaks. Outside the city there are boat ramps on North River Road between Ft. Wayne and New Haven and in Leo/Cedarville.

• Is there a map with access locations?
 Unfortunately not specifically dedicated to access locations.

• Where is the best place to fish on the rivers?
 Where you are! Moving water is always good, so just downstream of a dam is used often. Many people fish in the parks because of the accessibility. However, anglers all have found what they believe to be the best spot, and I see them all along the rivers.

• Is it true that the Maumee Watershed is the #1 contributor to the Great Lakes?
 Yes!

• Does fertilizing my yard contribute to the pollution of the rivers?
 Absolutely if you are not cautions about the application. Don’t apply over hard surfaces, ie. driveways and sidewalks. When is rains, it will run into the street drains and then into the rivers. Over application will do the same.

• Are the rivers safe to boat on?
 Yes, unless it is during extreme flooding conditions. Winter canoeing and kayaking is especially enjoyable.

• Are the rivers safe to swim in?
 Generally no. However the upper St. Joe is ok for some full body contact as long as there have not been recent rains.

• Where can I travel on the rivers?
 Barriers to water travel are the dams or very shallow 3”-6” of water. In the heart of the city you can travel by boat from Johnny Appleseed Park to Foster Park to the South Anthony St. Dam.
 On the Maumee below the South Anthony St. Dam, you can travel to Toledo. Once past the shallows of Foster Park, you can travel to Decatur. From the IPFW campus you can travel to Cedarville Dam

• Can the rivers be a business?
 Yes, Boating, fishing, wildlife tours, restaurants and bars, equipment sales, housing, etc.

• Is there a difference in the water quality of the different waters?
 Yes. See – How dangerous are the rivers?

• Where are the sewage treatment plants located?  Why next to rivers?
 Sewage treatment plants are always located next to waterways. This is because once the water is “cleaned” it is returned to the source, the rivers, to be used again. The amount of water is finite so it is necessary to recycle and reuse our waters.

• Why is there a color contrast between the rivers at the meeting of the 3 rivers?
 It is usually two shades of brown, lighter and darker. The lighter river water has had the most recent rain event within its watershed. This is evident because the light brown color is topsoil runoff. As the current slows down and the sediment begins to drop out the color darkens.

• What are the rivers names?  Have the changed over history?
 Saint Joseph River, Saint Mary’s River and the Maumee River – They have changed names as the Europeans settled the region and created their own names.

• What did the rivers look like 200 years ago?
 Mostly smaller streams because of no dams. And clearer also due to less topsoil run off.

• Who used to live in the rivers, but don’t now?
 Some species of fish that require better water quality and many small creatures. As water quality declines, the smallest of living organisms die off. The health of water is better determined by the smaller creatures living than the larger ones.

• Are beavers good?
 It depends who you talk to. They are a nuisance for an urban environment. They will “ring” a tree of bark. This is to strip a tree around the bottom of all the bark. This leads to the tree dying the next year. They then fall into the river a few years later and most likely get caught on the bridges or in the gates of dams. This then requires spending public money to remove the problem.

• How does urban and/or rural living affect the rivers?
 In very similar ways by man-made pollutants and building in critical floodplain space.

• Who likes the river?
 Who doesn’t?

• What plans are there to fix our rivers?
 Many groups advocate for the development of the waterways but no “official” plans have been developed. We are getting closer to the community embracing a “development plan for our waterways”.

• How can I help?
 Go play on the and around the waterways and tell everyone of the fun you had!

Local and Regional Groups

Indiana Watersheds (map courtesy of the Allen County Partnership for Water Quality)

Allen County Partnership for Water Quality

• water quality resources
• links to related organizations
• experts, workshops, and education
• Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)
• presentations for schools and civic groups

Allen County (Indiana) Soil and Water Conservation District

• links to resources
• services for developers, educators, rural and urban residents
• topographical maps, aerial photographs, flood plain maps, and more

Great Lakes Information Network

• environment info for the Great Lakes area
• links to resources, clean-up and restoration efforts, pollution, and more

Great Lakes Town Hall

• connect with people in the Great Lakes area interested in water issues
• share ideas, opinions, and commentaries

Little River Wetlands Project

• acquiring, restoring, and preserving wetlands in Allen and Huntington counties
• educational programs for the community
• volunteer opportunities to get involved

Save Maumee Grassroots Organization

• creating awareness of conditions in Fort Wayne’s three rivers
• conducting restoration projects
• revitalizing the St. Joe/Maumee Watershed

St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative

• water quality monitoring
• watershed management and planning
• public education and outreach

Upper Maumee River Partnership

• new local group working on a watershed management plan
• educational programs and outreach for the community
• water quality monitoring

Video

Watershed Mentality video

Click to open a new window with the video player. In Local Productions, scroll to the “Watershed Mentality” image, then click the image to play.

• award-winning documentary from PBS 39
• looks at the health and status of the Maumee River Basin
• explores how we can protect – and hopefully improve – this vital natural resource
• winner of the Indiana Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence
• finalist for a regional Emmy

Federal Government Resources

Surf Your Watershed from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• watershed health indicators
• drinking water information
• air pollution data
• links to volunteer monitoring efforts

Real-time Water Data from the US Geological Survey (USGS)

• state-wide streamflow conditions
• links to statistical summaries for Indiana rivers

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

• see the current height of rivers throughout northeastern Indiana
• one-click access to water level and flow details for all major rivers