Nonpoint Source Pollution Education
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Nonpoint Source Pollution Education
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Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) results from rain water flowing over and through the ground, picking up pollutants (soil, oil, grease, bacteria, pathogens, heavy metals, nutrients, pesticides and other contaminants), carrying them away and depositing them into guts, wetlands, salt ponds, beaches, coastal waters and ground water. The St. Croix VIMAS office has been involved with educating the youth of our community about NPS for several years. NPS is the most prevalent form of water pollution in the territory, and it is our hope that by educating our future leaders we can find local solutions to the problem of NPS. |
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VIMAS uses the EnviroScape®, an interactive watershed model, to teach local students about watershed dynamics and to demonstrate how NPS is generated and how it affects our environment. The model accurately depicts the features present in our islands' watersheds. By populating and polluting a model watershed, the students learn about NPS and its effects in a hands-on manner. |
| During the summer of 2000,
VIMAS partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Christiansted to offer
an educational program on NPS to their summer campers. The
program consisted of 4 weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on field
activities dealing with different aspects of the NPS problem in the Virgin
Islands.
As a result of the summer program, 50 kids were introduced to the issue of NPS, 20 neighborhood storm drains were stenciled, 21 bags (approx. 260 lbs.) of debris were removed from local beaches and the wider community on St. Croix learned about NPS through interactions with the kids. Additionally, VIMAS is compiling the materials into an educational module on NPS that will be available for distribution to local educators in the near future. |
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Check out some video clips of our field activities with the Boys & Girls Club, or the beginning of the VIMAS NPS video (free upon request to local educators). You will need either Real Player or the Windows Media Player to view the video clips. Get them here:
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