Creek Week!

Ten years ago, the Western Virginia Water Authority developed Creek Week, a program that conducts activities in schools to create awareness about the importance of water resources. However, only a few schools have a creek on their property, but Franklin County Middle School does and has been a wonderful place for hands-on activities. The Water Authority provides all the necessary equipment and sets up the program, and their programs have won multiple awards.

The Creek Station is the heart of the program, and BRFAL Volunteers staff it. The station is divided into two simultaneous groups, and the goal is to have at least two experienced SOS volunteers who have worked the program before and one person with less experience. Chekka, Geoff, Connie Jean, Lee, Martha Kuon, and Carolyn Briggs worked this year. Chekka's college students also provided excellent assistance, with two of them being from Franklin Co. and remembering their Creek Week years ago. On Monday, two of Chekka's students helped, five helped on Wednesday and Thursday, and three on Friday.

Several organizations participate in Creek Week. The Water Authority brings two people, while The Blue Ridge Soil And Water District runs a station. The Clean Valley Council provides one or two volunteers to assist.

This program is unique and offers experiential education to children, leading them to care about their environment. The BRFAL team has six years of interpretive training and additional NPS training to achieve the program's goal, which is to make attendees care about the resource, which is the Earth.

-report submitted by Shearer