Pearl Riverkeeper Programs
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Pearl Riverkeeper Water Stewards
WHAT: Pearl Riverkeeper Water Stewards are citizen scientist volunteers trained by the MSU Extension Service MS Water Stewards program in EPA-approved protocols for Bacteriological and Water Chemistry monitoring. These volunteers conduct weekly and/or monthly water testing at locations around the Pearl River watershed. WHY: The state of Mississippi has over 26,000 miles of perennial streams and rivers. For the 2016 Water Quality Assessment Report, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality assessed only 11% of our waterways for one or more uses. According the report, "The status of water quality on the remaining 89% (23,586 miles) of the state's perennial rivers and streams is unknown". Citizen science-based monitoring can amplify and fill in the gaps of our government-led monitoring programs. Community, group and citizen observations can accelerate the identification of problem areas, provide data to determine waterway impairments, and contribute to a more complete knowledge of watershed health. HOW YOU CAN HELP:
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Pearl Riverkeeper River Guardians
WHAT: River Guardian volunteers choose a section of the Pearl River, its creeks or tributaries, to monitor 4 times per year and conduct a litter cleanup 2 times per year. WHY: Engaged citizens have a huge impact on watershed health by providing an early warning of potential issues and watershed problems. A trash-free Pearl River watershed is crucial to our local water quality, our economy and our environment. HOW YOU CAN HELP:
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Pearl River Clean Sweep
WHAT: The Pearl River Clean Sweep is a yearly river cleanup event that covers the entire Pearl River Basin including the Strong and Bogue Chitto Rivers. Cleanup teams are deployed across 15 Mississippi counties, 2 Louisiana parishes, and over 490 miles of beautiful river. The Clean Sweep will take place yearly on the 3rd Sat in September, coinciding with the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup. WHY: The Pearl River Clean Sweep unites our communities behind the common goals of protecting our natural resource and making clean water a priority. The trash that impacts our own section of the watershed eventually heads downriver to the sensitive esturaries, fisheries, and oyster hatcheries on the Mississippi Sound. During the inaugural 2017 Pearl River Clean Sweep, over 1000 volunteers removed 36,000 pounds or 18 tons of trash from our Pearl River watershed. In the past 6 years, this event has engaged more than 3,800 volunteers and removed over 151,000 pounds of trash from the Pearl River watershed! Removal of this trash has vast economic, social and environmental benefits. HOW YOU CAN HELP:
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iNaturalist
WHAT: Pearl Riverkeeper is on iNaturalist! The iNaturalist app helps you ID the plants and animals around you and connects you with our local community of citizen scientists and naturalists. WHY: Help us gather research quality data on the flora and fauna in the Pearl River watershed. Any observation you make in the counties of the Pearl River watershed will automatically be added to our project. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Download the iNaturalist app and register for your free account today. Join the Biodiversity of the Pearl River Watershed project. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/biodiversity-of-the-pearl-river-watershed |
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Storm Drain Marking
WHAT: Pearl Riverkeeper has partnered with City of Jackson Public Works to mark and geotag the storm drains within City limits. Click the volunteer button below to get involved and help out with the project. If you’re interested in starting a marking program in your city, let us know and we’ll try to make it happen! WHY: Storm drain marking reminds the community about the dangers of dumping or littering in curbside drains. Be the solution to storm water pollution! HOW YOU CAN HELP:
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Muddy Water Watch
WHAT: The Muddy Water Watch program was created by Waterkeepers around the country as a way to monitor and protect their waterways from harmful sediment pollution. WHY: The Environmental Protection Service lists sediment as the most common pollutant in rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs. Sediment degrades water quality, destroys habitat causing declines in fish populations, increases nutrients in the water leading to algae blooms, can decrease dissolved oxygen levels, adds contaminants such as E. coli, pesticides and heavy metals to our waterways, causes storm drain and stream channel clogging and increases water treatment costs. Sediment pollution causes $16 billion in environmental damage annually. Most sediment runoff comes from improperly managed construction sites and logging activities. It is important that construction sites use Best Management Practices such as silt fences, sedimentation ponds, straw baffles, vegetative buffer zones and other measures to minimize soil loss and sediment transfer to our waters. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Report sediment runoff issues using our Water Reporter app or by contacting Pearl Riverkeeper. |
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Recreational Access and Pearl River Water Trail Development
WHAT: One of the goals of Pearl Riverkeeper is increased access to our Pearl River via more boat ramps and kayak launches and the development of more Water Trail maps. A Water Trail map is a river trip planning resource that helps visitors understand and prepare for an adventure on the river. The map depicts recreational waterway routes along with information about safety issues, public access points, history and ecology of a watershed, mileage, and water flow. Click here for the Pearl River Trail map developed by Mississippi's Lower Delta Partnership. WHY: The Pearl River runs through the heart of our Mississippi state capital and yet there are zero public access boat launches for 66 miles from the Ross Barnett Spillway Dam to the next launch at the Georgetown Bridge. Increasing access to our Pearl River will enhance outdoor recreation opportunities in our area, resulting in positive economic impacts from tourism and property values. Building a community of active river-users will lead to increased conservation efforts on our river. HOW YOU CAN HELP: |
