Environmental News NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY (Kansas…
NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY
(Kansas City, Kan., Sept. 30, 2011) - A team of EPA scientists, Center High School students and Blue River Watershed Association volunteers will monitor water quality, examine aquatic life and clean up Indian Creek in Kansas City, Mo. The outdoor classroom will be used to teach students how they can become involved in preventing pollution through environmental stewardship activities.
Approximately 30 students will be conducting 10 tests to determine the water quality of Indian Creek and pick up trash along the creek. EPA is working with schools to highlight the importance of water monitoring and give students the opportunity to collect measurements side by side with EPA scientists. The students also will learn about the stream's habitats and how various land uses and urban runoff can affect a watershed.
Environmental education projects enhance public awareness, knowledge and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. Students will learn about native plants, habitats, ecosystems and water monitoring.
WHAT: News conference, water monitoring and stream cleanup
WHEN: 1:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. news conference; and 1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. water monitoring and stream cleanup, Oct. 7, 2011
WHERE: Indian Creek behind Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Mo., 64131. Parking spaces are available for the news media in the parking lot.
WHO: EPA Region 7 Acting Deputy Administrator Mark Hague and Blue River Watershed Association Education Director Kate Delehunt
EPA is partnering with the Blue River Watershed Association, a grassroots community organization that engages the Kansas City metropolitan community in protecting the Blue River watershed. The organization works with school districts in both Kansas and Missouri to teach students about the importance of good water quality to health, recreation and the quality of life in watersheds. The Blue River drains much of the Kansas City metropolitan area south of the Kansas and Missouri rivers.
Throughout October, there will be a number of educational events taking place across the country. October is Children's Health Month, when EPA brings awareness to environmental issues such as watershed health, which is important to providing clean, safe water where Americans live, work and play. These are opportunities in which parents and teachers can learn about environmental issues affecting children, how they are being addressed more effectively at the local level, and the simple actions they can take to restore the nation’s watersheds.
Learn more  about EPA's Children’s Health Program
Learn more  about EPA’s Environmental Education Program
Learn about water quality in the Kansas City area at www.kcwaters.org  
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