Activity Books Watershed Defenders Comic Book | Page 2

Keep it clean, we all live downstream.
M eet O ur H eroes
Every day, countless people are
working to protect and manage
our water supplies. We all have a
responsibility to help.
From the time of Colorado’s
earliest inhabitants to the present
day, the history of our state has been
about the history of water, a history of
both surplus and shortage.
Meet Watershed Defender (WD),
super hero and protector of runoff
water. While growing up on the
eastern plains of Colorado, WD
learned the value of water. While
snow in the mountains is often
measured in feet, much of the plains
region averages less than 13 inches
of annual moisture.
WD’s grandad told him what it was
like when the first non-native settlers
arrived, following the Rio Grande,
Arkansas and Platte rivers. He told
him how irresponsible water use had
fouled mountain streams and lakes.
He also told him about the 1930s
and 1950s, when crops withered in
the drought and livestock died from
lack of feed.
WD spent his summers working
on a ranch in the mountains. He saw
firsthand how grazing, mining, log-
ging and other industries were good,
but could be mismanaged.
Dad! Look at that
st uf f going into the
storm drain! Where
doe s it All go?
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While studying at the university to
become a hydrologist, WD learned
how a river was much more than what
was contained between the banks. He
learned how all living things are con-
nected by water.
WD, his sister Kilee and their team
of Watershed Defenders have commit-
ted themselves to helping to keep Col-
orado a great place now and for future
generations.
The Watershed Defenders help
protect our water all along its path,
encouraging everyone to do their
part, large or small.
Their No. 1 enemy? The Contami-
nator. He’s the monster that thrives on
polluted runoff water. His favorite hid-
ing spot is the storm drain. He waits
for rain and melting snow to carry
pollutants that will damage our local
rivers and lakes, harming animals,
plants and possibly humans.
The good news? You can help. We
can all be Watershed Defenders every
day. It’s easy. Read on…
You don’t have to be a super hero to be a Watershed Defender—Check
out page 4 to find out how you can make a difference today!
Watershed Defenders produced by Colorado Foundation for Agriculture