LANCASTER, Pa. — Lancaster Water Week kicks off today, June 7, for its eighth year, and organizers say this year will be the largest one yet.
The week is dedicated to the education, advocacy and celebration of the numerous waterways through Lancaster County, all through this year's theme of "Rewilding for Clean Water."
One of the kickoff events takes place during First Friday at Penn Square from 5 to 8 p.m., where a tall structure, or monolith, has been placed to display art, educate on local environmental topics, and provide free native trees and shrubs while supplies last.
Kelly Snavely, vice president of development and marketing with the Lancaster Conservancy, says this week is meant to be a celebration.
“Lancaster Water Week is first and foremost a celebration of Lancaster County’s 1,400 miles of streams and rivers, which are an incredible asset. Unfortunately... over half of those streams and rivers are polluted," she said.
The week isn’t just about education. Snavely says there are over 60 events for anyone and everyone to join through Saturday, June 15.
“There are lectures on stream ecology. There are tours of wetlands and restored floodplains. We have trivia night," she told FOX43. "We have a film festival on paddling. There’s volunteer opportunities to get your feet dirty, to get your hands dirty, and to kind of dive in.”
The Lancaster Conservancy and its partners hope to reach a broad scope of people, as clean water issues affect us all in a variety of ways.
“There are a lot of people who grew up swimming and fishing in the Conestoga River, kayaking on the Conestoga River and other local waterways. If those waters aren’t clean, we lose that resource, we lose that adventure," said Kenn Bennett, communications coordinator for Lancaster Clean Water Partners.
In an effort to maintain that adventure, sponsorships and a portion of the funds raised from this week will go towards the Clean Water Fund.
“That fund helps implement on the ground projects throughout the year, really supporting that mission of inspiring others to take real, tangible action to clean up our streams and rivers," said Snavely.
Snavely says that this work is personal for the conservancy and they are looking forward to celebrating it throughout the week.
"We know that by protecting native species and natural lands… that we are protecting our watersheds and protecting the water that flows into our streams and rivers and making sure that our streams and rivers are healthy," she said.
If you're interested in joining any of the events for Lancaster Water Week this year, you can find more details and register for them on the Lancaster Conservancy's website.