What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the area of land that drains into a common body of water, such as a river or a lake. 

Watersheds are the places we call home, where we work and where we play. What you and others do within your watershed impacts the quality and quantity of water and other natural resources. Healthy watersheds are not only vital for a healthy environment, but also for a healthy economy. Water from all rivers and streams in Cuyahoga County flow into Lake Erie. Lake Erie is not only the source of our drinking water, but it also provides us with recreational and economic benefits.

Every watershed is different. Watersheds are as diverse as our landscape and are formed by many unique shapes and areas containing natural and man-made features. Watersheds may be hilly or they may be flat. They may have cities, farms, wetlands, woodland and even deserts. There are about 25 watersheds in Northeast Ohio including the Cuyahoga River, Rocky River, Chagrin River and many subwatersheds and direct Lake Erie tributaries. Each watershed has its own unique characteristics and water quality issues.

What is Watershed Stewardship?

Watershed Stewardship is the responsible care of our natural resources and wildlife on a watershed scale. As watershed stewards we work to balance human and economic needs against the needs of our natural environment. A healthy environment ensures that we have clean water and a healthy ecosystem. Watershed Stewards are caretakers of our environment and watershed stewardship can look different for each of us as it fits within our current lifestyle.

If learning more about water and natural resource conservation in order to serve our local communities through volunteering and outreach excites you, then you will make an excellent Watershed Steward! This program will provide many opportunities to do satisfying volunteer work in an exciting field, have access to current information on environmental conservation, and meet lots of wonderful people. We are excited to be offering this program and working out of the Watershed Stewardship Center to enhance and protect our urban watersheds through regional participation in watershed issues.