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education and outreach
Management Challenge
Education and outreach are mutually reinforcing tools for inspiring public appreciation and stewardship for the watershed and its resources, and for engaging public participation in conservation activities. As such, they must be included in a comprehensive management strategy. Local governments, landowners, business leaders, citizens and young people need to know about the watershed's important resources and to understand what they can do to enjoy and protect them. Both Delaware and Pennsylvania have full-time interpretive and environmental educational programs in the White Clay Creek Park and Preserve, and each maintains a building dedicated to educational use. Additional programming is presented by New Castle County, the Tri-state Bird Reserve, the White Clay Creek Watershed Association, the Delaware Nature Society and others. The long-term success of this management plan is dependent on:
- Knowledgeable and motivated community leaders who incorporate the objectives of the management plan into the ongoing process of local government.
- Well-informed citizens and landowners who work to achieve the objectives of the plan at home and within their communities.
- Environmentally aware children and young people who will provide the next generation of leadership and stewardship for the watershed.
Roles and Responsibilities
The states should take the lead in implementing watershed education. This is currently the responsibility of state agencies, and their efforts are complemented by numerous environmental organizations in and near the watershed. The states regulate curricula within local districts, and they will continue to do so. Should a state decide not to take on this responsibility, the state could defer to the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee. The Committee's focus should be upon the promotion of and support for outreach activities among various environmental organizations and agencies operating within the watershed.