The numbers . . .

-14 festivals (starting with 4 different Earth Day events in April and ending last week with UM’s Party for the Earth on the central campus Diag)

-9 different communities in the watershed (Milford to Flat Rock)

-25 volunteers (some of whom were new to HRWC and a dedicated handful of whom worked more than once)

-5 staff members

-1 H2O Hero (thank you Rob!)

-1 kayak (raffled at Ypsi Heritage Fest)

-500 hero masks colored, cut, and assembled by everyday heroes

And more . . .

-1,500 5-minute shower-timers

-1,000 toilet leak detection kits

-1 box of 300 Huron River Canoe Maps

-500 copies of the Huron River Report

-2 appearances by Congressman Dingell (at Huron River Day in Ann Arbor and at the Flat Rock Riverfest)

-25 macroinvertebrates who gave their lives in support of our River Roundup demo at Ypsi Heritage Fest

-1 Adopt-A-Stormdrain program sandwich board (thank you City of Ann Arbor for making it and Jason for wearing it)

Even more . . .

-countless stewardship events flyers, membership brochures, tip cards, collectible stormdrain buttons and H2O Hero t-shirts

-countless conversations with people excited about the Huron River and wanting to understand how they can help protect it

Phrase heard most frequently: “This shower-timer is great! My (spouse, kid, teenager, house-guest, parent, etc., anyone but the person speaking) could really stand to take shorter showers.”

Best thing heard: “I’m already taking short showers and using low-flow fixtures. It has definitely saved me money on my water and energy bills and I get to do something easy and low-cost that protects our water and cuts my carbon emissions.”

Most depressing thing heard: “We don’t need to worry about pollution. The River carries it all away for us.”

Favorite moment: Standing under our festival tent on the banks of the Huron River at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti and watching a great blue heron fish for and eat his lunch. You couldn’t ask for a better demonstration of wildlife habitat in an urban setting!

Sum it all up and you get one busy season of HRWC education and outreach. Thanks to everyone, and I mean everyone, who helped out. From the festival organizers and fellow exhibitors, to the volunteers, staff and the friends we made along the way, and our donors who fund our education and outreach including the Masco Corporation Foundation on the Saving Water Saves Energy project and the Middle Huron Partners. We couldn’t have done it without you.

If you missed us at one of these, there’s always next year. OR you can learn more about what you can do at www.hrwc.org/h2oheroes.