Posts: 392
Location: KY | 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, and All Through the Watershed
by Rebecca Buerkett, editor, F. X. Browne, Inc.'s Lake and Watershed
News,
December 2003 (with apologies to Clement C. Moore*)
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the watershed
Not a creature was stirring, they'd all gone to bed
The river was nestled all snug in her banks
Not a sign of erosion, for this we give thanks
To the citizens who spent their time planting the trees
And the native wildflowers that attracted the bees
When out near the lake there arose such a clatter
A deer raised its head to see what was the matter
It was merely a dog who barked to get loose
Chasing away another pesky Canada goose.
The lake, how it shimmered.
The water, how clean.
Its hypolimnion well-aerated
Its IBI value a dream.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But signs all around me of people who care.
Shoreline homeowners who'd come to their senses
Farmers ensuring their streambanks have fences.
Well-maintained buffers all planted with trees
Townships installing their own BMPs.
Infiltration! Bioretention!
Sand filters and more,
To keep dirty stormwater
From reaching the shore!
With a staff gage in place at the monitoring station,
And the permits acquired for wetland restoration.
I marveled to myself, as I surveyed the scene
Thank goodness for all who keep my watershed clean!
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