#SummerScienceFriday | Be #WatershedActive Guide

Our #WatershedActive series has covered safe recreation, the ecosystem services that natural resources provide for people and the importance of community engagement. Through the series, we can begin to understand how natural resources are important to human health and realize that we are so much more connected to our waterways, land and air than meets the eye. In highly urbanized areas, our streams and open spaces become swallowed by concrete, urban development, stifling community enjoyment and the ability for communities to reap the necessary benefits (or ecosystem services) they provide.The Council for Watershed Health works for healthy watersheds which, especially in the context of Los Angeles, includes healthier urban environments for healthier communities. One way to enhance our collective health is through stewardship of our rivers and green spaces. By writing this series, we encourage our readers to opt for the outdoors rather than computer screens, to recognize and appreciate how our open spaces can make us healthier when we prioritize them and we encourage those that resonate with this message to participate in the creation, enhancement and protection of natural, public spaces to improve watershed health. For this week, we’re happy to share our new tool, created to empower #WatershedActive communities! Our #WatershedActive Guide and interactive map introduces five steps that individuals can take to get involved. Don’t forget to use #WatershedActive whenever you are working to enhance watershed health in your community or recreating in the watershed!

Visit our #WatershedActive Guide and interactive map to get started with these steps:

1. Identify your watershed

You should know which watershed you are in before using #WatershedActive!

2. Opt outside and recreate!

If you live in LA County, visit this Interactive Park Map to find your local parks and check out our LA #WatershedActive Recreation Guide for more ideas