Educational Efforts

Hillsdale Watershed Festival

Since 1970, the month of April is a time to take action protecting the Earth and it's resources. Each year April 22 marks the anniversary of Earth Day, the first environmental celebration to promote awareness about environmental concerns and to make the concerns a national priority. Earth Day is now observed by more than 500 million people in 175 countries worldwide.

Hillsdale Water Quality Project (Project) joins many local organizations and agencies in celebrating Earth Day by hosting and participating in student and youth activities within the community. The Project hosted the Seventh Annual Hillsdale Watershed Festival, April 23, 2010, at the Spring Hill Civic Center.

The school-based event attracts approximately 350 Spring Hill Middle School and Wheatridge Middle School students, teachers and volunteers. Representatives from various organizations and agencies provide their expertise in hands-on learning activities to educate students about watershed, water quality, water conservation and natural resources. The students take notes on the activities they participate in and are tested in the classroom on the material they learn during the event.

For more information about this event or to provide an educational activity, please contact the Office at 913-829-9414.

Fishing Line Recycle Bins Installed at Hillsdale Lake!

Hillsdale Water Quality Project and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks installed three monofilament, or fishing line, recycling bins in March, 2009. Then, in March, 2010, Hillsdale Water Quality Project partnered with the City of Spring Hill to install two more monofilament recycling bins.

The monofilament recycling bins' use is essential in keeping fishing line off the shores and out of the water. This is a pilot program meant to create new opportunities for Hillsdale Lake recreational users to actively improve water quality.

The five bins provide convenience at accessible sites. The Hillsdale Lake bins are located at the Jayhawker Boat Ramp, Marysville Boat Ramp and the Spillway at Hillsdale Lake. The Spring Hill bins are located at the Spring Hill City Lake and Melvin Murray Pond. Project staff gathers, cleans and submits the collected fishing line so that it will be recycled into items such as: tackle boxes, underwater fish structures and other fishing related items.

Missouri Stream Team, in partnership with Berkley Pure Fishing, donated the PVC monofilament recycling bins to HWQP for use at Hillsdale Lake. The monofilament recycling program was funded by a Johnson County Stormwater Management Advisory Council Education and Outreach grant funded through a Johnson County stormwater tax.

Participants Collect Information About Rain Barrels

series of five, free rain barrel workshops were provided to Johnson County residents this year. The workshops featured demonstrations by Hillsdale Water Quality Project staff on how to make and use a rain barrel. Each household participating assembled and took home one free rain barrel. Approximately 150 participants took home 120 rain barrels funded through this program.

A rain barrel is used to store roof runoff by connecting the barrel to gutter downspouts. The collected water is great for watering plants and gardens during dry times and saves on water usage. A house with a 1,000 square foot roof can harvest 600 gallons of water during a one-inch rainfall. Participants were encouraged to make more rain barrels after leaving the workshop.

The workshops were held to educate homeowners about the importance of using rain barrels: Spring Hill Community Center ~ April 7; De Soto Wastewater Treatment Facility ~ April 14; Edgerton City Hall ~ April 28; Gardner Senior Center ~ April 29; and Spring Hill Farmer's Market ~ July 17, 2010.

More will be scheduled in the Spring of 2011 for Johnson County and Hillsdale Watershed Residents.

Interested Parties may be asked to show proof of address.

For a List of Rain Barrel Supplies, Assembly Instructions and Tips Click HERE!

Rain barrel workshops and majority of the costs are funded by a Johnson County Stormwater Management Advisory Council Education and Outreach grant funded through a Johnson County Stormwater Tax.

These reduced rate rain barrels are for Johnson County and Hillsdale Watershed Residents Only.

Home School Program

In 2008, Hillsdale Water Quality Project partnered with the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education to provide an event to train and engage home school parents in hands-on learning projects from Project WET and Project Learning Tree environmental education curriculum guides.

The "Home School Environmental Education Workshop and Festival", a full-day event, was held on February 4, 2009 in Spring Hill. The workshop offered the opportunity for local home school parents and youths to be involved in environmental education activities to enrich their home curriculum.

During the morning session, home school parents learned how to use and incorporate Project WET and Project Learning Tree into their curriculum, while their children attended an educational water festival. Representatives from the Kansas Rural Water Association, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Miami County Conservation District and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, educated the students about water, wildlife, conservation and soil by providing hands-on activities.

Parents then used their knowledge in the afternoon to teach their children hands-on, environmental education activities.

The home school program was sponsored by a Johnson County Stormwater Management Advisory Council Education and Outreach grant funded through Johnson County Stormwater Management Program.

EnviroScape Presentations Provide Local Schools and Organizations Nonpoint Source Pollution and Watershed Educational Tools

The EnviroScape is a three-dimensional, interactive watershed model that includes a construction site, residential area, forested hills, factory, and a lake. The model demonstrates the movement of water through a watershed. Project Staff provide students educational resources and discuss non-point source pollution and how to improve water quality. This activity is popular with students, likely due to the cocoa and flavored drink mix used to represent pollutants. This demonstration is available for K-8th grade students, but is most often requested for 3rd-4th grade. The presentation requires fifteen minutes to one hour, depending on the amount of detail preferred. Due to the size of the model, this program is best suited for groups of 25 students or less.
For more information, or to schedule your demonstration, contact the Project office at (913)829-9414.

The Hillsdale Water Quality Project is funded by local private, corporate and municipal contributions in addition to an EPA Targeted Watershed Grant, and a Johnson County Stormwater Management Advisory Council Grant funded through the Johnson County Stormwater Management Program.