The Incessant Rise of Our Population

By Ella S.

        Are you aware that the average person uses 50% more resources than what they should be consuming? Now imagine over 8 billion humans living on the planet currently. Imagine their consumption of the earth’s resources. Human overpopulation has been an increasing problem for not only the earth, but also for humans themselves. 

        Human overpopulation is when the earth is unable to regenerate the resources consumed annually by people. The more people, the greater the amount of resources consumed, therefore resulting in overpopulation. Currently, humans are highly overpopulated and are growing at an unsustainable rate. Each year, the population climbs by 83 million. The estimated population for people in 2100 is 11.2 billion, while the ideal population is only 2 to 3 billion. 

        Overpopulation worsens the earth and its environments. A larger population creates an increased need for resources like healthcare, transportation, food, water, housing, and energy, and continuing to over consume these resources causes ecological degradation. Many natural resources, such as oil, coal, and natural gas (also known as fossil fuels) are being overused. In 2019, 100 million barrels of oil were produced and consumed per day. 130 million tons of coal are produced for consumption per year. In 2020, the U.S. alone consumed 22% of the world’s natural gas. Moreover, the growing number of people are using natural resources to their depletion. This includes cutting trees and deforestation, hunting wildlife improperly, and pollution. Each year, around 18 million acres of forest cover are destroyed. Hunters kill and hunt 200 million wild animals annually. Due to the depletion, especially the lack of trees, more greenhouse gases will be released. This will result in an increase of global warming, eventually melting the glaciers, causing sea levels to rise and climate change to speed up.

        Humans will also experience a large impact on society and living from overpopulation. Due to the higher demand for resources, many developing countries will want to prioritize getting resources, especially water, resulting in conflicts and war. More people will be unemployed since there are a limited number of jobs for a large population, and as an effect, more theft and robbery is likely to happen. The cost of living will be raised because of the demand and supply of resources. Even the supply of water will be scarce. Now, only approximately 1% of water on the earth is usable and clean for humans, and by 2025, the expected demand for freshwater for people is 70% of the freshwater on the planet. Human overpopulation largely affects people.

        One of the main causes of overpopulation of our species is an imbalance of births and deaths. In order to have a sustainable population, there must be an equal number of births and deaths. In the past, due to poverty, more babies were born, yet the birth and death rates were still balanced because death rates were also high. In the present, birth rates continue to be high, but death rates have decreased, resulting in an imbalance of births and deaths. Furthermore, in 1990, there were 8.8 million deaths of infants. In 2017, there were only 4.1 million infant deaths. The mortality rate of infants has greatly decreased to result in fewer deaths and a longer survival rate for infants. 

        In addition, extreme advancements in living such as science, technology and medicine advancements, and the toolmaking, industrial, and agricultural revolutions have led to a higher life expectancy. For example, medicine advancements, such as vaccines, have successfully cured deadly diseases, with an outcome of people living longer. As people age slower, the population also increases faster. 

        A solution to overpopulation is to spread information on family planning. Raising awareness on family planning, use of contraceptives, and how family planning can be used to help prevent the serious effects of overpopulation can help prevent unwanted pregnancies that would lead to population growth. A small family with ideally one to two children has both economic and ecological benefits. Additionally, social marketing can also help with overpopulation by educating people about the effects of overpopulation. This can be held in public places such as food markets, schools, and sporting events. Raising awareness on overpopulation is an important step in taking action to stop overpopulation. 

        It’s time to make a change for the earth and the many further generations to come.  As Alexandra Paul states, “The human overpopulation issue is the topic I see as the most vital to solve if our children and grandchildren are to have a good quality of life.” 

 

Pelican Deaths

By: Lauren Rose Mele

        Have you ever wondered how much trash is really in the ocean? 14 million tons of trash is dumped in the ocean every year. This trash is forming a red tide. Red tide kills sea life, and it is especially targeting pelicans. The California Institute listed brown pelicans as endangered.  The numbers are skyrocketing up. A reporter in the Florida institute of fish and wild- life research said, ¨To date we have confirmed at least 70 dead or ill Brown Pelicans and at least one white pelican.¨ 

        Experts say fertilizers have been dumped into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving the brown pelican feathers to get drenched in the fertilizers, causing them to get hypothermia. The website surfider.eu says, ¨the pesticide use went up by 25% in the last decade.¨ We dump these fertilizers in the ocean, and the red tide is created. This red tide is not just killing brown pelicans. It has killed over thousands of fish. In 2013 this killed 200 manatees. These pesticides are destroying the marine ecosystem.  If we keep putting these harmful fertilizers into the ocean then these pelicans, and other sea life, will keep dying. Sooner or later they will become extinct.   

           Observer says, “ Improperly disposed of trash can find its way into sewage systems and waterways, which can eventually lead it to the ocean.” This proves that disposing trash properly helps with removing red tide. Another way to help your environment is you can stop using harmful fertilizers and pesticides. Red tide could cause severe skin irritations, such as rashes, burning and sore eyes. It can also cause respiratory irritation such as coughing and sneezing. 

¨It's like a bomb went off here,¨ says Damon Utterback (fisherman on Fort Myers Beach). Since the red tide came here the water looks like green vomit, But 15 years before it was so clear. Red tide turns the ocean red, brown, or green. Fort Myers Beach's water is brown. The red has been getting worse and worse since November. Florida's wild and fish conservation confederacy reported that the pelicans are dying from botulism poisoning (rare poisoning caused by toxins).

 Sooner or later these pelicans and other sea life will become extinct. If we all just dispose of trash properly, and stop using these harmful fertilizers, then we can save sea life forever. Fort Myers Beach can be safe for all the living. 

Smoking Should be Illegalized

By: Siddarth Sivakumar

        Did you know 6 million people die every year from tobacco alone? Smoking is one of the most addicting and abusive drugs globally, yet nicotine products can be found almost anywhere. If the nicotine complication isn’t dealt with properly, the problem will ascend beyond our capability.

        Numerous people don’t know that nicotine is not a recreational drug, so it shouldn’t be used for delight daily like people typically use it. Even smoking once can lead to a deadly addiction; that's what happens to 80 to 90 percent of people who smoke or use any tobacco products, including another 67 percent who may or may not be addicted but get deleterious diseases and/or cancers because of the vast ocean of the lethal drug in their bodies.

        The people who use nicotine products are mainly people not educated enough to differentiate what's good for them from what can be fatal; the companies running the tobacco industry profit enormously as the global tobacco market was estimated to be 867.6 billion USD, and over the next couple years will grow over 1 trillion dollars and will only burgeon if not entirely stopped. For the people who fall into their advertising, this number won’t stop; it will only rapidly burgeon.

        Smoking bans have been implemented, but not the ones people expect; the actual smoke from smoking is dangerously atrocious to your skin even if you don’t smoke at all. Smoke-free indoor policies prevent casinos, gaming venues, and multi-unit housing from smoking indoors as skin cancer from severe cell defects will lead to squamous skin cancer or cancers related to the mouth, throat, kidneys, or bladder, and SFS exposure can also lead to the same effects.

        The government has to step up and fix the smoking crisis as soon as possible, yet that's just the thing the government can’t do as that would be against people’s freedom since the government can’t discriminate against what anyone can engage in, causing a restriction of human liberties in the nation, which would lead to smuggling and organized crime and would probably cause a decrease in tobacco needs and resources. This may be the case, just like the alcohol ban in 1920 when  drinking decreased by 30% and then skyrocketed passed 60%; the way tobacco consumption is going right now, putting bans on it will result in the same events happening, the desperation of people’s smoking habits to not stop, and will drastically increase with the withdrawal pain. This increase will not be known for a long time until it puts an unhealable scar on people's lives.

        Over 30 million people smoke just in the United States.  We can’t let smoking become normalized in our society. The only way society will accomplish such a feat is if we educate people on the effects of nicotine and show them something that's only temporary and isn’t worth threatening their whole live. Using the voice we all have can put an end to one of the biggest epidemics in the world.

Video Games - They’re Good! 

By: Caleb Spooner

        Have you been told by someone in the past that you shouldn’t ever play video games because they are bad for your health, or because they cause violence and depression? That might not be so true; video games have many positive effects on your brain and body.

        Video games can help with memory and attention. According to data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, children who played video games for three hours or more each day had higher brain activity in areas of the brain associated with attention and memory but less brain activity in brain areas related to vision. This could mean that video games make visual comprehension easier for your brain, letting the brain devote more resources to attention and memory, which are very important for many situations. Also, when you play video games, you often have to juggle multiple tasks. Juggling tasks exercises the hippocampus, a part of the brain handling conversion of short-term memory into long-term memory, which can improve one’s long-term memory. This memory improvement was shown in a 2015 study from the University of California. The study found that those who played 3-D video games performed better on memory tests than those who played 2-D video games or no video games at all, so if you want to improve your memory, you should try out some 3-D video games. But memory is not the only thing that video games can improve.

        Video games can benefit your brain in many other ways, too, like how shooter video games improve how you think about objects in three dimensions, according to a 2013 study by the American Psychological Association. In the study, it is documented that only specific video games help with spatial skills, which is a category that excludes puzzle-solving and role-playing categories. It is only one type of game, shooter games. As stated in the study, these spatial benefits are likely due to the very visually-rich three-dimensional environments navigated when playing shooter games. This improvement in spatial skill can help when trying to do things such as parallel parking or organizing a closet or storage container. Also closely related to this, playing action video games can improve your ability to create perceptual templates, something that helps you determine what is important and what is not when in a complex environment. This type of perception is especially important because it can be applied to almost any situation, so it is good to improve on this aspect of the brain’s function. 

        Additionally, very involved action video games can improve contrast sensitivity, helping the brain to distinguish patterns and shades of colors. This could help when trying to find something you dropped into a patch of grass or finding some friends in a crowd. Another way that video games can benefit your brain is quick thinking. A 2010 study found that people who loved playing action video games accurately made choices up to 25 percent faster than those who enjoyed playing much slower-paced video games instead. This can also be applied to many different situations, like if you are in a fight or even something as little as a Kahoot game. Not only can video games help in the short term, but they can also help in long-term decision-making. Playing video games can improve long-term memory by training your brain to recognize the positive and negative outcomes of certain choices. Playing video games can also help keep your brain young, preventing the deterioration of focus and the ability to multi-task. And yet, there are more ways that video games can help you in your life.

        Video games can help with your social life and don’t hurt it as much as many people say. Also, unlike what many think, there is no correlation between playing video games and being a violent or depressed person. On the contrary, video games can reduce anxiety and make someone happier. According to the same 2013 study by the American Psychological Association mentioned earlier, short and simple games like Angry Birds can improve a person’s mood and make them happier because of the short and sweet, simplistic nature of the game. To add to this, complex and immersive video games can be very therapeutic. When a videogame player is absorbed in a digital world, they don’t have to worry about work, bills, or any other stresses of life, which can lead to being happier. But don’t think that means you can play hours upon hours on end, because excessive video game playing can and in most cases will hurt your social life. However, video games, when played in moderation, can help with social skills. 

        When you take on a fictional persona in a video game, you can go into different social situations and experiment with certain actions and their outcomes. This teaches what is good and what is bad to do in social settings. On top of that, when playing video games that have a multiplayer option, you can play with other people digitally and improve your social life by seeing how a friend acts outside of person-to-person interactions, and if you play with random people, you learn what to avoid, what makes people angry, and what makes people happy to make better decisions when hanging out with a friend or someone close to you. In addition, playing video games is associated with having fewer relationship issues among peers, according to one study of kids in school. In response to the study, Katherine M. Keyes, Ph.D., assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, said the following: “These results indicate that children who frequently play video games may be socially cohesive with peers and integrated into the school community.” So, not only can video games help the social lives of older people, but also younger ones, like children who are still in school. Still, though, video games can improve more than just social interactions and the brain.

        Video games can also keep you physically fit and active. Certain video games like Dance Dance Revolution, EA Sports Active, and Beat Saber allow you to exercise while getting the same enjoyment as you would when playing a video game. One study found that playing exercise video games provides satisfaction and a sense of autonomy over your exercising. And according to Sami Yli-Piipari, co-author of the study and an associate professor at the Mary Frances Early College of Education, “When an individual feels autonomous, they’re more likely to exercise or exergame on their own.” This means that playing exercise video games can encourage one to exercise more, and more exercise is always good; most people don’t get enough of it normally. Exercise video games also encourage exercising because they don’t come with the pressures and boredom of going to a gym and don’t require as much traveling to get to. In the same study mentioned earlier, it was found that people who played exercise video games didn’t work out as hard as those who exercised in traditional classes, but they enjoyed their experience more and thus were likely to have more desire to continue exercising. But these benefits don’t only apply to adults. When a parent gives their kid exercise video games, they are more likely to exercise when the adult is not watching because they find it more fun than normal exercise. This is because, as mentioned earlier, exercise video games are fun and do not feel like traditional exercise. So, to recap, video games help your memory, your social life, and help you to stay fit. There are also some other minor benefits of video games.

        One of said other benefits is increased intelligence and school performance. According to a study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, high usage of video games was associated with one and seventy-five hundredths times the odds of high intellectual functioning and one and eighty-eight hundredths times the odds of having strong school competence overall. On top of this, many video games are set in various settings across history, which can make the player interested in learning more about history. Also, according to a 2013 study from the American Psychological Association, playing strategy video games was found to increase skill in problem-solving, thus improving grades. Another minor benefit of playing video games is that playing video games can teach resilience and persistence. When you fail repeatedly and then finally succeed, it makes you learn that if you persist, you can typically get a good outcome. This is good in life because if you are never persistent and resilient when challenges come your way, you will give up, which is never good to do. Sometimes, it could even make you miss out on something that you will never find out that you enjoy doing, because you couldn’t do the first step since it was simply too difficult, and you did not persist in trying to complete it. So, there are many benefits to playing video gamesthere , but there are also some drawbacks to playing video games.

        Too much time playing video games and being on screens can lead to health problems. Some of these are obesity, lack of sleep or poor sleep in general, behavior issues, eye strain, and neck and back problems. These can be serious in certain cases, because if you do not get enough sleep, it will severely decrease your ability to function during the day, and behavior issues can get you in trouble. But aside from these more direct health problems, it can also cause other health problems through hyperarousal. 

        See, when you are on screens too much or play video games too much, it can put the brain in a constant state of hyperarousal. Hyperarousal can lead to many different problems, such as an inability to pay attention, difficulties with managing emotions, controlling impulses, and following directions. These are just some of the problems, but there are many others. Hyperarousal can cause some physical symptoms too, like irritability, feeling jittery, and depression. But aside from hyperarousal, video games can cause addiction. This addiction comes with even more problems, like other thoughts being blocked out because of an immense desire to play video games. It can lead to a lack of focus, just like with hyperarousal. It can also lead to playing video games and procrastinating other work that needs to be done, like schoolwork. But what can you do to prevent these problems from playing video games?

        One way to prevent the overuse of video games is to use an app that controls the maximum amount of time that can be spent playing video games. There are many different apps, and sometimes even built-in features in devices, to lock out the user after a certain amount of time. Another way to prevent excessive screen time is to charge your devices outside of your room to prevent the temptation to play video games or just spend more time on the screen in general. You can also start small, removing yourself from screens when you get home from work or school, at dinner, and when in a car. Replace video games with other entertainment and relaxation methods, like taking a walk or reading a book. There is always something else that you can do besides video games.

        So, in conclusion, video games can be good for you, but make sure to play them in moderation. If you don’t, there can be many consequences, like health problems - physical and mental - that will deteriorate your experience in life. Next time you are thinking about logging on to a device, recall the advantages and disadvantages. Just keep in mind that video games will benefit you, whether it be your brain or your body!

Racism in Schools is Being Ignored

By: Emma Lin

        Have you ever seen those videos of people telling immigrants or people of color to go back to their country? Many students have been victims of words like that. Things such as discrimination and xenophobia are things people of color experience in their day to day life. As of now, people have been speaking out about their experiences with racism. Many students and adults may not understand how heavy and significant this topic is. There are countless reasons why people need to speak out on topics like these; let’s start with racism in schools. 

        In Farnsworth Middle School, a seventh grader was interviewed on racism. When asked how people were racist to him he answered how people would say terrible words. These words consist of the n-word, monkey, slave, cotton picker, burrito maker, leprechaun, orangutan and blackie. These are horrible words directed to him, and many others have encountered the same thing.  “People think I can run fast, I like watermelon, I can wrap a burrito and speak spanish all because of my race,” said the seventh grader. When asked how he feels about this, he responded saying, "I feel horrible, and I wish it would stop.”

        For hundreds of years now, colored people have been discriminated against and treated unfairly. There are many stereotypes on people of color that have been around for decades.  Asians are stereotyped to be extremely smart, know how to play instruments, play sports, have glasses, etc. The reality is that people judge others based on their skin color. For example, graduates who are black have two times the chance of being unemployed, even if they are from a prestigious college. Even people with ‘black sounding’ names have a 50% chance not to get a job even after getting a diploma. 

        Racism is also something the school system forgives and forgets. When growing up as a person of color, it is difficult to be treated the same by peers and teachers. For example, black students have three times more chances of getting suspended or expelled than white students. Many underfunded schools have more colored students. Many teachers at these schools don’t even have a license to teach. Just imagine going to a school unable to learn anything since your teacher is not even trained at all because you are a person of color. The fact is that racism is deeply rooted in school systems. In the USA, black students make up 42% of school suspensions. However, black students only make up 16% of public school enrollment.

        Many students and adults who have been victims of racism develop mental illnesses. People ages 18 to 28 are 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness caused by racism and discrimination. Racism can cause trauma, which may lead to other mental problems too. Those include depression, anxiety, and a possibility for the student to become suicidal. BIPOC (Black and Indigenous People of Color) adolescents with mental health and behavior problems are more likely to be sent to the juvenile justice system instead of a therapist or specialty care institution. This can damage a student's mental health as they are not receiving the care needed. This causes a student’s mental health to lower. It can cause them to not pay attention in school or have grades dropping. Students should not have to encounter racism in schools. Schools are meant to help students, not lower their mental health.

        Schools are supposed to be a place where kids are learning and having fun. They are not supposed to be a place where you get discriminated against. There are millions of kids out there who have been facing racism in schools everyday. Protests such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate have been major in America. As people start speaking their opinions about racism, there has been one topic people have been forgetting about: racism in schools. We as a community need to voice our opinions and fight back; racism in schools needs to end.

 

Pollution Isn’t Right

By: Isla Bauer

Have you ever wondered if you could get sick just from drinking water? Well, about one billion people each year get sick from drinking polluted water. Not only do humans get affected by polluted water, but so do animals.

        Wildlife was affected largely by the BP Oil Spill in 2010. This devastating event started on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The rig spilled petroleum (a type of oil) into the ocean, which spread over 57,000 miles, until the rig was finally capped. The unfortunate rig was capped on July 15, 2010. 

        There had to be many cleaning efforts done. The National Response Team organized the clean up. The groups that helped with the oil cleanup were the U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, Transocean, and many more groups. In the end, over 40 billion dollars went into cleanup and recovery. For those who were affected by the spill, they received a fund of 20 billion dollars. 

        Later, after some investigating, a report was released by BOEMRE and the U.S. Coast Guard. In the report, it stated that BP and Transocean were both responsible for the oil spill even though there was a different company who installed the rig. There was inaccurate testing by BP. Also, BP and Transocean both ignored signs of problems from the start of the installation. 

        In 2020, there was still an investigation on the event. However, the U.S. Department of Justice finally came to a conclusion. They sued BP, Anadarko, and Transocean for violating both the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act. 

        As you can see, in the end there was a collection of funds that went to the spill, which could have gone to something more important, and loads of time was taken up from investigating and cleaning. So, do you still want polluters like this to pollute our ocean?

        Oil was the polluter in the BP Oil Spill. However, major water polluters include agriculture, sewage and wastewater, dumping of radioactive substances, and motor oil. There are also many other polluters like garbage, electric waste, rubbish, construction debris, and demolition waste. “Just recently, there was an oil spill in Geneva and is being cleaned up now by the DEC,” stated a member of Seneca Lake Pure Waters. So as you can see, many, not all, but many of these polluters are from human waste. 

        Agriculture is one of the world's worst polluters at this time. Even though agriculture is the worst polluter, it also needs the most water. Fertilizers and pesticides are one of the major uses in agriculture, and also, they are major reasons that agriculture is a polluter. Fertilizers, pesticides, and gases can go into the waterways, and most of those waterways are going into our oceans. One of the top fertilizers that pollutes is nitrogen based fertilizers. Animal waste can go into waterways, too. This can lead to animal waste going into the ocean. A member of Seneca Lake Pure Waters stated, “ Farmers should use best practices; this includes soil conservation, no till farming, and preventing field run off and livestock runoff.” There are many reasons why agriculture is one of the world's worst polluters. 

        Many people suffer from water pollution, including sickness and hair loss. About one billion people each year get sick just from drinking water, which is a basic need of living. Fresh water is already in demand, but in 2050 fresh water demand is going to be a third greater than now. Addison Mason, a member of The Seneca Lake Pure Waters and Seneca Lake Deep Water Testing, said, “There are 100,000 people that rely on Seneca Lake for drinking water.” This may not seem like a lot, but it is. If you accidentally drink polluted water you could have digestive problems, cholera, dysentery, theypoid, hepatitis A, and polio. Not all of this can happen just from consuming water, but also washing with or entering contaminated water can cause all of those diseases. So, there has to be something we can do, right?

        Well yes, there is. Here are a few things we can do. We can be mindful of what we are disposing of. We can recycle, reuse, and reduce plastic. As a community, we can clean up animal waste.  Also, we can reduce littering and not blow debris in roads. Instead of littering, you can find the closest garbage can or keep it with you until you get home. Rather than pouring motor oil down the drain, you can bring it to your local auto parts shop, and they will take care of it. You can make an impact just by doing those simple things. We may not stop it, but we can reduce it substantially.

        As you can see, pollution is a huge problem that needs to be reduced quickly because it is only going to get worse. More people will be getting more sick, including you and your loved ones. However, if we all join together, we can help stop pollution just by doing the simple things. So, are you going to help stop pollution?

Pollution

By: Tommy Paonessa

        Imagine you're at the beach and just ate a scrumptious bag of chips but you don't want to take the hike to the nearest garbage, so you take a chance and chuck the bag right into the ocean. What you don't realize is you just cost a fish or a little baby turtle its life. 

        Pollution is seriously damaging the ocean. It's gotten to the point where there's a trash island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas. In length, it's 617,763 miles long, and 617,763 miles of trash is only 37% of all the pollution in the world. At the rate we're going, the ocean will be trash soup, and the aquatic life will decrease rapidly and poison the fish we eat. Microscopic organisms called fungi that live in the algae consume plastic and are eaten by herbivores and whales, and once consumed by the animal the organisms bond with the animal's flesh, turning it into a plastic taste in the fish. 

        The ocean animals' habitat is a big part of their health, and when it's clean they thrive. When it's dirty and polluted, forget about it; the saltwater animals have a better chance of living in freshwater than in the polluted water. Pollution is even worse in rivers and ponds. Over 50 % of rivers and ponds are too polluted for fishing, swimming and drinking. To make the ponds and rivers clean the U.S launched the clean water act. But this all spiraled out of control.   

        The local fishing areas are spiraling out of control, and the beaches are caked with trash. For example, Kamilo Beach, Hawaii is also known as Hawaii's plastic beach and is the most polluted beach in the world. The reason for this is because of people and the Pacific Garbage Patch, and with the command of tourists and the garbage patch the beach doesn't stand a chance even if people tried to clean up. The fish are all dying out, like Atlantic halibut and bluefin tuna. These two fish are a delicac, and an easy access fish. But With the fish dying, and with pollution skyrocketing, these fish won't be much longer. With all the dead fish and blood in the water the red tide will start and the water will become poisonous. Because of this people can't enjoy seafood on a regular basis, but the worst part is, the locals can't catch or sell fish. This leads to them losing their jobs or not being able to feed their families, thus making the industry go down as well as the population of ocean life. If this stays at the rate it's going it could cause massive extinction and lots of starving people. 

        Another issue is biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics do dissolve in water, but only when the water gets to 90 degrees fahrenheit; then it will start to barely break down. Plastic doesn't even fully dissolve, so when the water cools back down, the plastic just reforms, and the chance of the water being that hot is slim; it can also kill the fish off from heat exhaustion or poisonous algae that forms when water temperature gets too high.

        Our waterways are our most important resource, and the more we pollute our water, the worse our environment will be. The more effort we put into our waterways, the better chance we have to keep our best resource.