River of Words: For Youth

E x p l o r e Y o u r W a t e r s h e d

What is a watershed?

Everyone, everywhere lives in a watershed.

A watershed is an area of land through which water, dissolved materials and sediments flow (both aboveground and underground) on their way to a common outlet, such as a stream, river, lake or ocean. In other words, every time it rains, water flows off the land and into the closest stream or other waterway (remember, water always flows to the lowest point). On its way, it picks up sediment, trash, oil, fertilizer and debris and carries it along, eventually depositing everything into the nearest body of water. The entire area of land which drains into the same body of water makes up a watershed. Large watersheds - the Mississippi delta, for instance - are composed of smaller watersheds created by other rivers, creeks and streams. Any landscape, be it rural or urban, is made up of many interconnected watersheds.

Watersheds share climates, plant and animal life, soil types, ways of life. Because watersheds are defined in terms of their natural boundaries, rather than political ones, they afford a sense of place and affinity that transcends more arbitrary groupings like a state or county. As poet Gary Snyder says, “Landscapes have their own shapes and structures, centers and edges, which must be respected.”

Watersheds affect who we are and how we live our lives, and also the kind of art, music and literature we create. Desert people, for example, sing different songs than forest people, draw different pictures, and often use different materials to create their artwork. The connection between landscape and the human imagination is reciprocal.

Read an article on watersheds by poet Gary Snyder

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