 Clean water
– a necessity for all God’s flora, fauna, and folk. Remembering
our mission statement to involve ourselves and others in activities which deepen
our relationship with creation and with the God of creation, the Earth
Stewardship Commission adopted clean water for all our neighbors as a focus for
our program during 2004.We are working with the rangers and staff of Paynes Prairie Preserve State
Park, and with Adopt a River, a non-profit environmental organization, to clean
a section of Sweetwater Creek. This section is located within the boundaries of
the Preserve just beyond the end of SE 15th St. in Gainesville (see map).
Sweetwater Creek flows into Alachua Sink, the major source of Gainesville’s
aquifer.
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Our activities include both educational programs and clean-ups. In 2002 and
early 2003, over 125 volunteer hours were spent in the project to pick up over
2,500 pounds of polluting material. Many rusting cans, plastic and glass
bottles, tires, television sets, and even one fiberglass double utility sink,
propane tank, and refrigerator, were recovered from the creek.
We report the weight of our collections and the identification of the
materials to Adopt a River so that we might ultimately trace the sources of many
of these pollutants.
We are continuing to partner with Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and
Adopt a River, and to provide education on clean water for our neighbors.
Please join us in putting our Christian creeds into deeds in caring for all
of God’s creation, especially his bountiful gift of water. Let us work with our
partners to make Sweetwater Creek the cleanest possible source of water for the
Gainesville aquifer, giving access to healthy water for all our neighbors –
flora, fauna, and folk.
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