Adopt-A-Stream
Do you enjoy the great outdoors? Are you tired of seeing trash strewn in and along our waterways? Want to do something about it? Pick a section of stream that you would like to keep clean and adopt it. Come with your family or gather your friends, coworkers, or associates and become a member of the Adopt-A-Stream Program!
CAC AmeriCorps
The Water Quality Forum’s CAC AmeriCorps member, along with the Farragut, Knox County Stormwater, Lenoir City and Oak Ridge AmeriCorps members, is the driving force behind the Water Quality Forum and its partners, putting our missions and visions into action! The Forum provides supplies for the AmeriCorps members to help them implement Forum events like Families in the Creek and WaterFest along with programs like the Adopt-A-Watershed Program. We thank the AmeriCorps members for all they do – their dedication to service, hard work, and spirit!
Environmental Stewardship Program Grants
The Environmental Stewardship Grants Program is intended to improve the health of our community’s watersheds by educating citizens and providing tools for applying stormwater best management practices.
Families in the Creek
Families in the Creek is a Saturday morning event that provides families an opportunity to explore local creeks and learn what they can do to help protect them! Together, adults and youth collect and identify fish and benthic macroinvertebrates with professional biologists; become chemists and test the waters; and, through simulation activities, determine how we can all become good stewards of our local waterways.
Cheers to Clean Water Paddle off and Clean-Up
Participants are encouraged to bring a kayak, canoe, or paddle board and take part in a competitive race, or just float and enjoy the river. Boats are available upon request. Following the float is a celebration in the name of clean water at Printshop Beer Co. Proceeds from this event benefit the Forum and programming throughout the year.
Rain Barrel Initiative
The WQF Rain Barrel Initiative annually involves three rain barrel workshops and a commercial rain barrel sale, with the intent to get more homeowners to use and understand the value of rain barrels. With that in mind, prices are always geared to be affordable!
Rainy Day Brush Off
The Rainy Day Brush Off is a competition that features the work of local artists and students who create unique, artistic rain barrels. The barrels will be displayed in the Greater Knoxville Area for the month of April. The barrels will each include a QR code that will take them to a page with educational and formal information about the entire event.
WaterFest
WaterFest is an educational (and fun-filled) field trip event for public, private, and home-schooled elementary students. Water Quality Forum partners join together at Ijams Nature Center to teach students about the value of our water resources and how we can protect them. For two hours, students rotate through hands-on activities from science experiments to arts and crafts to storytellers and singers!
In conjunction with WaterFest is an annual poetry and art contest open to all K-5 students, whether they attend WaterFest or not!