Headwater streams channel water from higher elevations into larger streams and eventually the ocean, but there is another way they help literally feed the waters downstream. Small headwater streams are generally surrounded by overhanging vegetation. This riverside plant life is the start of the food chain through which energy flows and is passed between living things as streams connect and grow larger.

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Wetlands have sometimes been regarded as an uninviting part of nature. Because of this, many people don’t take the time to get to know their local wetlands and learn about the many benefits they provide.  More than half of the wetlands that once existed in the United States have been drained, filled, farmed or built over as cities sprawl.  We can help protect the wetlands that remain by identifying the types of wetlands in our own area and understanding the value of these ecosystems as a whole.

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During heavy rainstorms, hillsides without larger plants such as trees and shrubs are at the greatest risk of being washed away or eroded by rainwater.  This makes agricultural land a vulnerable site for storm water runoff. Luckily, several cultivation techniques can greatly reduce the effects of erosion.

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