Activity Books Watershed Defenders Comic Book

E xplore Y our W atershed Before we get carried away trying to protect our watershed, we’d better do some exploring to find out where contamination might come from. Gravity pulls our watershed to- What is your nearest creek? ____________________________ What is your nearest major river? ____________________________ What is the name of your nearest lake? __________________________ 4.____________________________ 5.____________________________ 6.____________________________ 9.____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ How much rainfall does your commu- nity receive during an average year? 3.____________________________ _________________________ ____________________________ Where is the nearest water treatment facility? 2.____________________________ 7.____________________________ What cities and states are down- stream from your area? gether. Water flows from high spots to low spots. Sometimes this is dra- matic—think waterfall—and other times it’s subtle. Commonly, we think of major riv- ers as watersheds. The Colorado, South Platte, Rio Grande and Arkan- sas are examples of major rivers that originate in our state. This is true, but there are also smaller rivers and creeks. Each is a smaller watershed that is part of the big picture. Some may only have wa- ter in them for short periods during the year. If you have Internet access, en- tering your zip code or town name at http://cfpub1.epa.gov/surf/locate/ index.cfm can help you learn about your watershed. In your classroom or at home (work with your parents), use maps or the Internet, to find answers to the following: 1.____________________________ What cities are upstream from your area? __________________________ List 10 species of wild animals in your area: ____________________________ List 10 things water is used for in your watershed: 8.____________________________ 10.____________________________ List five food plants a farmer in your area might grow: 1.____________________________ 2.____________________________ 3.____________________________ 4.____________________________ 5.____________________________ Name five possible sources of runoff pollution: 1.____________________________ 2.____________________________ 3.____________________________ 4.____________________________ 1.____________________________ 5.____________________________ 2.____________________________ Internet tip: If you’re having trouble finding resources, you might try http://www.coloradowater.org/ watersheddirectory.php or http://co.water.usgs.gov 3.____________________________ 4.____________________________ 5.____________________________ 6.____________________________ 7.____________________________ 8.____________________________ 9.____________________________ 10.____________________________ Watershed Defenders produced by Colorado Foundation for Agriculture 5

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