Raindrop to the Bay By Kathy Woodard Presentation by LEEP: Lake Anna Environmental Education Program Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Follow a raindrop’s journey… Lake Anna Chesapeake Bay … from Louisa to the Bay! As we… Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Downhill! Downhill: this map shows elevation— tan parts mountains, then foothills, green parts closer to sea level Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

A watershed is all the land that drains into a body of water. So when it rains some of the water soaks into the ground (which we then pump up with our wells). The rest flows over the ground into streams, ponds, creeks, and into this river. So all this land is part of the watershed of this river.— Not this part because that flows down this way. That would be part of a different watershed. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

What watershed are we a part of? EPA has a great website—Surf your Watershed– we click on VA Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Virginia Watersheds Then we click on where Louisa is… Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Pamunkey River Watershed Here is our local watershed- see Louisa, Lake Anna--- all creeks/streams flow to N/S Anna Rivers– which join to form the Pamunkey River Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Kayaking on the Pamunkey River Here are some people frp, the MPRA kayaking on the Pamunkey River, and all the water in the Pamunkey comes from our local watershed. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Pamunkey Joins the Mattaponi River to Form the York River Pamunkey York The water doesn’t stop there. See, the yellow area is our Pamunkey Watershed. The P joins the M to form the York. So we are also part of a bigger watershed: The York Watershed. Mattaponi Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Canoeing at the York River State Park Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

explore/forests.htm The Pamunkey Watershed is a small part of the 64,000 square miles of land that drain into the Chesapeake Bay. You can see how huge it is, here is Virginia… Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Everyone has a Watershed Address: Louisa County Library, Parking lot, High School pond, creek behind High School, Northeast Creek Reservoir, Northeast Creek, South Anna River, Pamunkey River, York River, Chesapeake Bay 33 R. Drop Cloud 9, Sky Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Let’s follow the path of a raindrop that falls on Brackett Farm! Photos, this page, courtesy of Brackett Farm Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Brackett Farm, Bunch Creek Nolting Pond, Hudson Creek, South Anna River, Pamunkey River, York River, Chesapeake Bay 33 R. Drop Cloud 9, Sky Brackett Farm’s Watershed Address: Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Bunch Creek… Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

…flows into Nolting Pond. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

The pond flows into Hudson Creek. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Hudson Creek flows into the South Anna River. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Trees slow the raindrops. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Roots hold the soil and reduce erosion. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Tree cover cools the water. Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Confluence of the North Anna and South Anna Rivers North Anna South Anna Pamunkey Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Paddling the Pamunkey Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

We drive past the York River… Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

…to take the Ferry to Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay! Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

A few hours later we spot land… Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

…just barely above sealevel! Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education

Photos by Kathy Woodard Brackett Farm (farmhouse, feeding calf, Nolting Pond) URL’s cited for online maps and photos Lessons from the BayVirginia Department of Education