by Marion Bittinger
We’re bursting into a spring like no other I’ve ever experienced before. I don’t know about you, but when I was a youngster those uniquely spring feelings of bare feet in the grass, the warm sun on bare skin and the prospect of no more school would always get my adrenaline going. Those annual sensations plus this year’s long-awaited prospect of finally reconnecting with family friends and maybe even eating out at a restaurant have me utterly ecstatic!
Spring, of course, brings so many other things with it, too. The year’s first canoe trip on the Middle River. The stunning display on its riverbanks of our Virginia Bluebells. And the annual Envirothon hosted by our Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District. Many of Middle River Watershed’s youth participate in this event, and some of our Board members will be serving as judges this year.
In 2018, FOMR also sponsored a film contest for local high school students, a contest focusing contest focusing on the reasons why a clean watershed is important to our community. I watched the winning video by the Fort Defiance High School Envirothon team again not long ago, and was really inspired by this group’s creativity and their depth of understanding of the challenging issues that confront our watershed. I don’t think there’s anything in this video that isn’t still true today, so I wanted to share it again. Youngsters have such creative and innovative ways of saying things!
Spring reminds me of youth…and youth remind me of spring: fresh, energetic, and ripe with another round of opportunities to get outside to experience and improve our watershed. Don’t miss the myriad of ways you can be involved, regardless of your age!
Watch the film HERE!
“The Middle Child Syndrome, Featuring the Middle River”
Marion Bittinger
Education Committee Chair
FOMR Board Member
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