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For
the first time the ecological action of environmental science
and management of nature “Runlet” was organised in Marijampole
town in 1997. This action was organised by Station of Nature Research
and Ecological Education, Environmental Management Office of Marijampole
Municipality Administration and Marijampole Environmental Protection
Department of Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania.
With the lapse of time this action developed into the permanent
project of environmental education “Clean Sesupe” The project
was carried out in Marijampole County scale and took in a bigger
part of Sesupe Watershed in 2000. Coalition of Clean Baltic (CCB)
supported this project. There were 16 groups of volunteers’ researchers
from the schools of Marijampole County who took part in the project’s
activity.
We began to cooperate with the US Environmental Protection
Agency (US EPA) Region 5 in 2001. In September specialists of
this region organised educational seminar for volunteers after
it a new idea started up to establish Volunteers Monitoring Network
of Sesupe Watershed.
After a year two educational seminars were organised for the
leaders of volunteers’ groups and for the local decision-makers
in September 2002. Seminar participants got acquainted with the
USA monitoring programmes and got information:
- how to turn attention of authority institutions,
public organisations and the general public to the volunteers’
activities.
- management problems of rivers’ watersheds.
- task of volunteer monitoring in this process.
- how to give data reports collected during monitoring
to public.
- how to communicate with public and media.
- what to involve in the activity of monitoring
programme, how to alive this activity and to develop it in the
regions.
With
the directed institutions efforts the project “Enlargement of
Volunteers Monitoring Network and Environmental Education in Sesupe
Watershed” began to implement in 2002.
Volunteers
Stream Monitoring Network covered 33 monitoring sites in territories
of all municipalities of Marijampole County. The volunteer’s activity
was supported by all administrations of Marijampole County (except
Administration of Sakiai Region Municipality) and by US Environmental
Protection Agency Region 5.
Objectives and goals of Volunteer Stream Monitoring
of Sesupe Watershed:
- Develop volunteers’ activity in Sesupe Watershed
and to maintain Stream Volunteer Network.
- Determine general condition of chose lengths
of Sesupe and it influents. To investigate the quality of water
and condition of vegetation and flora.
- Find out with the help of volunteers problematical
ecological points of Sesupe Watershed.
- Spread experience of environmental protection
in Sesupe Watershed regions (Marijampole, Kalvarija, Kazlu Ruda,
Vilkaviskis Region, and Sakiai Region Municipalities).
- Involve more volunteers in educative and investigative
activity.
- Endeavour, that people emboldened by our initiative
will pollute Sesupe and it watershed’s streams riversides less.
- Inform municipalities and state nature protection
institutions about Sesupe Watershed ecological situation and
volunteers activity constantly.
- Inform public about monitoring process and it
results.
- Organise yearly conferences for the volunteer
monitoring participators.
- Publish collected data in Internet. Innovate
it and supplement with new data.
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