Category: CWEP Partner Highlights

Passionately Promoting Clean Water through Work and Recreation | Terry Hackett, Town of Hillsborough

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In this interview, CWEP educator Hannah talks with Terry Hackett from the Town of Hillsborough stormwater department. Terry’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all avid fly fishermen, which has influenced Terry’s involvement with his local chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Triangle Fly Fishers, as well as his career in stormwater. Learn more about how Terry dovetails his passion for fly fishing and his career to advocate for clean water in North Carolina. Thanks, Terry for helping to advance this important work in all that you do!

To get involved in the Fly Fishing community, you can visit the Triangle Fly Fishers webpage or find your local chapter of Trout Unlimited!

Downtown Revitalization and Why I Love Working for Local Government | Interview with Scott Miles, City of Rocky Mount

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Tune in to the latest Water Leadership Series Interview, where CWEP educator Hannah talks with Scott Miles, stormwater engineer from the City of Rocky Mount. Scott shares about how his experiences with water resources from childhood to being an undergrad student at NC State University helped shape his eventual career path. Scott also details a new downtown revitalization project happening in Rocky Mount, in which the stormwater department is a key player. We hope you enjoy hearing from Scott as much as we did!

Building Relationships and Educational Models in the Watershed | An Interview with Amin Davis, NCDEQ

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In mid-April, CWEP educator Hannah interviewed Amin Davis, the state and local projects manager for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Tune in to hear who and what inspires Amin to continue working in the water sector and where he sees this work headed in the future. In this interview, Amin discusses influential personal and professional relationships and the roots of the Raleigh Watershed Learning Network model. Thank you, Amin for your leadership in the water sector!

Working Towards Environmental Justice and Culturally Relevant Education in Southeast Raleigh: An Interview with Tots Height, PEJ

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In early March of 2021, CWEP staff member Hannah had a conversation with Tots Height, the Program Director at Partners for Environmental Justice in Southeast Raleigh. Listen in to hear more about Tot’s experience in the water sector and her passion for working towards environmental justice, culturally relevant education and community engagement.

Racial equity, stormwater pollution, and community watershed education: An Interview with Keshi Satterwhite, ECWA

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Keshi Satterwhite has been doing outreach and engagement for the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association since 2019. CWEP education and outreach coordinator Hannah sat down with Keshi to talk about her passion, leadership, mentorship, and hope for the future of the water sector.

Our interview with Keshi kicks off our Water Leaders Profile Series, where we will be interviewing water leaders from across the CWEP region. Know someone in a CWEP community who is leading the water sector? E-mail us at cwep@tjcog.org to suggest our next interviewee.

Capture It! Enter Raleigh’s Annual Stormwater Arts Contest

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Are you or someone you know a creative Raleigh student? Help us spread the word about the City of Raleigh’s annual stormwater arts contest! By entering this contest, students explore the powerful intersections of art, messaging, stormwater education, and community engagement. Winners receive a $500 prize and recognition as a 2020 Raleigh Environmental Award Winner. 

Who: 8th-12th grade students in Raleigh area schools

What: a video or artwork entry showing how to reduce stormwater pollution and protect local waterways. Artwork should be designed to fit on a storm drain or rain barrel.

When: submissions are open until February 3rd, 2020.

How: Register here on the City of Raleigh site. This page also has more details about submission requirements.

Need some inspiration? Click here to watch the video entry winner from last year’s contest.

Image result for storm drain artwork Image result for rain barrel art

Image result for storm drain artwork

Above are some examples of creative stormwater messaging painted on storm drains and rain barrels. If you want to make your own storm drain art design, be sure that it fits within the required dimensions (23.5-inch diameter round or 62.5-inch x 14.5-inch rectangular)

Image 1: City of Raleigh website

Image 3: RVA H20 (Richmond, VA) website

Image 4: WLWT5 News (Cincinatti, OH) website

Image 5: City of Lubbock, TX website

Durham Creek Week 2019 Dog Pledge!

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What is Creek Week?

Creek Week is a time to discover and clean up our local streams through recreational, educational, and volunteer opportunities! It has been celebrated in Durham since 2009, with 2,783 volunteers collecting 152,798 pounds of litter to date. Please refer to CWEP’s Creek Week page to learn more about Creek Week happenings throughout the state of North Carolina this coming March!

Did you know?

Did you know that pet waste contains bacteria and parasites that can pollute our waterways? Pet waste also contains high levels of nutrients that can enter our streams and lakes, contributing to harmful algae growth and invasive aquatic weeds. This harms the freshwater organisms, and produces toxins dangerous to humans and animals.

For Durham Creek Week 2019, stop by Piney Wood Dog Park and have your four-legged friend sign a pledge promising that he/she will pick up their waste! In exchange for signing the pledge, your dog will receive a copy of the pledge, some dog treats, and a biodegradable dog waste bag! To learn more about all of the events taking place during Creek Week 2019, check out Keep Durham Beautiful’s events page here.

Organized by: Triangle J Council of Governments, Clean Water Education Partnership. Contact Blair Frantz with questions at bfrantz@tjcog.org

Canines for Clean Water

Capture it! Raleigh’s Upcoming 2019 Stormwater Arts Contest

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In 2018, the City of Raleigh’s 2018 Capture it! Stormwater Arts Contest was a huge success!  This annual contest is an opportunity for students in 8th through 12th grades to capture the importance of stormwater runoff through art and film. This will ultimately bring more awareness to the positive impacts the community can have on the environment by keeping waterways clean! In 2018, winners for three categories were announced at the 11th Annual Environmental Awards this past March. A photo of last year’s rain barrel winners are shown below.

Rain Barrel Finalists 2018[1]

Now…here are the details for the year ahead! Registration is currently open for Raleigh Stormwater’s annual Capture it! Stormwater Arts Contest! 

WHO:
Students in 8th – 12th grades who attend school within the City of Raleigh, Raleigh extra territorial jurisdictions (ETJ), or the utility service area

WHAT:
Create a film or artwork that shows how the community can reduce pollution to Raleigh’s streams and lakes. This brings more awareness to the importance of protecting local waterways by keeping trash and other waste out of storm drains.

THE PRIZE:
Winners in each category will receive a $500 prize and will be recognized at the 2019 Raleigh Environmental Awards for creating a 60-second video or painting/drawing for a rain barrel or storm drain cover.

WHEN: 
Registration is open until Feb. 1, 2019. Submit an entry today.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact Carmela Teichman at 919-996-4032 or Carmela.Teichman@raleighnc.gov

We can’t wait to see you there!

 

City of Raleigh Hosting Hurricane Season Flooding Series August 28 and 29

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The City of Raleigh sees the most flooding impacts from hurricanes in September and October. To help you prepare, the City is holding public meetings that cover:

  • Why flooding happens;
  • What to expect in different areas of the city;
  • What the City does to reduce impacts from flooding; and,
  • Available community resources.

WRAL meteorologist Greg Fishel will be there to lend his expertise as well!

Click on the links below to find out more information about the series – no reservations are required.

Flooding Series: What you Need to Know During Hurricane Season
August 28 at 6 p.m.
Walnut Creek Wetland Center, 950 Peterson St.

Flooding Series: What you Need to Know During Hurricane Season
August 29 at 6 p.m.
Lake Lynn Community Center, 7921 Ray Road

Spotlight on Cary – Stormwater Program of the Month!

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Each month we will be featuring the outstanding work that our CWEP Partners are doing to keep our stormwater clean around the region and in your communities. This month we’re focusing on the Town of Cary as they strive to continue increasing public engagement and awareness of stormwater in their everyday lives!

In the Town of Cary’s continuing engagement with downtown stormwater stakeholders, staff gave a guided tour to about 10 citizens, including developers and downtown homeowners, to see real-life examples of stormwater management in practice and public-private opportunities. NC State University professor Dr. Bill Hunt was in attendance and provided valuable insights. In addition to the walking tour, attendees were able to see the new truck that is cleaning out stormwater drains in a Town of Cary pilot area as part of their proactive approach to maintenance.

DT Stormwater Tour 1

The tour infused plenty of Town technology by utilizing a stormwater storymap via iPad devices in order to supplement the talking points at each spot along the tour. The tour group was encouraged to share the walking tour and storymap with their social circles and continue using the features through the publicly accessible website. Since the tour, the Town of Cary has seen traffic to the storymap website double. Be sure to check out this cool technology and see photos of stormwater education in action!