The Problem
Imagine you're in the position of an unhealthy stream or pond. Being sick is no fun, especially if there is no one there to take care of you and realize that something is wrong. All of your friends, the amphibians and macroinvertebrates, are even leaving. You feel choked up with duckweed and E. coli. Now think of yourself in the position of one of those amphibians. Your pond, your home, isn't doing so well, and you can't do anything to help. You don't have a good place to live anymore, and it might be a long trek to the next pond. Now, I know there are some people who think "It's just a pond, it'll be fine. How does that affect humans, and why should we care?" Well, that pond is actually much more important than some people may think. It is a part of a bigger picture, a watershed. That one small pond or stream is also connected to other ponds and streams, and one of them being unhealthy could lead to the others getting sick, too. And not only does that body of water affect wildlife and the environment, but if kids are playing in it, that could possibly affect their health as well. That's why I want to address the problem of poor water quality. People and animals have doctors, why not our streams and ponds, too?
