Plan a Stream or River Clean-Up Event
There are more than 100,000 miles of streams and creeks in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These tributaries send fresh water into the Bay and provide vital habitat to aquatic plants and animals. They also provide people with public access points where they can fish, boat, swim, observe wildlife, and reconnect with the watershed. Building personal connections with the environment can benefit public health and conservation efforts. But what happens when that stream or river is cluttered with litter?
The accumulation of litter is perhaps the most visible threat to waterways. Aquatic litter and debris includes plastic bags, cigarette butts, beverage bottles and other waste that enters the marine environment. Sometimes, this waste is thrown onto a street or into a waterway on purpose; other times, it enters the environment accidentally. In urban and suburban areas, waste that is on a street or sidewalk can be pushed into storm drains, rivers and streams when it rains. Aquatic litter can detract from an area’s beauty, smother grass beds and bottom-dwelling organisms, add chemical contaminants to the water, or be ingested by animals. Learn how to locate your local waterways and organize a Clean-Up Day!

Before You Start
- Overview: Project Planning Basics
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Find a Local Waterway:
- FieldScope (switch the basemap to “topo”)
- Model My Watershed
- EPA Surf Your Watershed
Implementation
- Register & Organize a Clean-Up: Project Clean Stream
- Organize a Stream Clean-Up (Video): Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Stream Clean-Up Downloadable Handbook: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Plant a Forest Buffer
Using Your Project
- Bay Backpack: Rivers and Streams Lessons & Activities
- Monitor Water Quality & Wildlife
- Clean Water Projects to Restore & Protect Your Stream
- Eco School Sustainability Pathways Lessons & Resources
- Eco School National Standards & Curriculum Alignment
- Project Learning Tree Curriculum Offerings
- Eco Schools Green STEM Initiative