What is Your Favorite Thing About Water? By Elisabeth Arnold, 2024 Cohort

     Water is powerful. Without it, the landscapes we see today would not exist. For billions of years the same water on earth there is now has been forming the world we know. Whether it be a massive glacier or a small stream cutting through a valley, water has the power to leave a lasting impression wherever it passes through. From the largest mountains, to intricate valleys, vast canyons, and quiet streams, water is the main source of much of the natural beauty seen on the planet

    Water can also be destructive. Too much in one place at one time may lead to devastating floods. Too little may lead to just as devastating droughts. Floods are the most common and devastating natural disasters in the U.S. and around the world. They lead to billions of dollars in damages each year along with loss of life. Droughts lead to shortages of clean water, increased fire risk, and collapse of ecosystems. Even a small amount of water in a cracked sidewalk can lead to a major change over time. Life relies on water, and is yet sometimes restrained by it. 

    Water also has the power to bring people together. Of course we all need water to survive, but it also is involved in many people’s fondest memories. This is because water is the focal point of a variety of recreational activities. Kayaking, fishing, swimming, boating, and surfing are just a few examples. Even popular tourist destinations usually involve a beach, body of water, or impressive landform created by water. Everyone uses water everyday, probably without thinking twice about it. Many cultures and religions even see water as significant and use it as a leading role in rituals and practices.

    My favorite thing about water is the power it holds. It is essential for life and can be destructive at the same time. This is why water deserves to be protected and appreciated. Water is in so many aspects of our lives that we undoubtedly rely on it. While we rely on water, water also relies on us to not misuse it and ensure future generations will be able to enjoy the same activities and form their own memories around water. 

Water in my Life by Kerry Howard, 2023 Cohort

    Other than the obvious reason of needing it to live, water has made an influential impact on my

life and the way I view the Earth. One of my favorite memories regarding water was when I went

to camp in 2014 and 2015, where myself, along with 30 other campers stayed at a campground

called, Deer Valley in Pennsylvania. Our main hang-out spot was on a small peninsula, where we

would have fires, late night talks, sit out during the day, and so much more. Although, my

favorite thing about being surrounded by the water was taking baths in the lake. I felt connected

with the water because I had never cleaned myself in lake water before and it was such a

meaningful experience due to how genuine the world felt in those moments. During my time

there, the water connected everyone, and helped people bond over a similar interest.

    Moreover, the different forms that water can shape into is so interesting to me. It can transfer

into a gas, solid, and liquid, but does so for the well-being of the Earth. The Earth has water to

thank for its beauty – not only the beauty of lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans, but also the

mountains, canyons, and erosion in everyday life. After traveling to various national parks in the

U.S., I have learned to appreciate how water has shaped almost everything we do and see. From

the Grand Canyon to the Yosemite, to my hometown, Pittsburgh where the Point is located, there

is almost always serenity in these places. Hearing waterfalls, smelling sea salt, seeing wildlife in

crystal clear water are just a few things that I think helps everyone relax. We are all more similar

than we think in the sense of enjoying water, and just as I found at camp, brings people together.

Water will always be a meaningful way to get closer to the Earth, closer with people, and closer

to your true self.

What I see for my future in the program by Drew Kimes, 2024 Cohort

    Hey everyone, I am Drew Kimes and the only male member of the 2024 River Stewards cohort! I take pride in that and we all consider myself “a part of the girls.” I truly have become so close with these girls and If it was not for this program I would not have met my best friend, Cassie Rafter. So I thank this program and cannot wait to create more bonds, friendships and memories with this group. 

    Anyways the theme for this week's blog post is the future. The future is a very daunting thing to think about because it is something we do not know for certain. However, we all have certain hopes and aspirations for the future and for me and this program I see growth. Speaking from my own observation and experience, my cohort is the smallest this program has had in years, with only 10 members. So we are bound to grow. And sure enough we are already seeing growth with over 30 applications for the 2025 cohort. This is amazing news as I mean we have the opportunity to grow and continue to do great things in our community and the communities around us. I cannot wait to welcome the new River Stewards into the family! 

    Though I see physical growth in the future, I also see growth in the sustainable projects we will do for the community for years and years to come. By sustainable, I mean they will be continued and executed by future cohorts and by the community members themselves. That way our impacts are lasting and not simply putting a Band-Aid on a situation. Creating sustainable projects and impacts is something our program strives for and I am excited to continue to see this growth in the coming years! 

River Love! 

My Future in River Stewards by Cassie Rafter, 2024 Cohort

    I see a plethora of growth and learning opportunities for myself in the future of the program. My cohort and I have spent a lot of this semester and last becoming familiar with the Dayton community and learning about the Rivers surrounding us. I’m excited to start building more personal relationships with Dayton's community leaders, some of who we’ve already had the pleasure to work with. In the future, I see myself and fellow River Stewards serving the community by working towards fulfilling its needs. 

    Not only will we serve our community through our capstone project but we’ll serve the community through education. Educational outreach is so important when it comes to our rivers and the sustainability of future life. Some recent educational outreach work my cohort and I have done is creating an informational video and worksheets for Dayton's Children's Water Festival later this month. In my future time as a River Steward, I’d love to be able to connect with the youth in Dayton. Like many other things during the pandemic, it has been difficult to organize in-person events. Although restrictions are being to be lifted it gives me hope that we will soon be able to work with after-school programs and continue to spread our knowledge and love for our watershed to the younger generations living in Dayton. 

    Another thing that I’d like to accomplish in my future within the River Stewards program is to increase the student body's knowledge and awareness of our Rivers and how unique/important they are. In the near future, a fellow stew and I are trying to organize a river clean-up with the guidance of the river stewards 2022 cohort. I think trying to involve the student body in large hands-on types of volunteer work surrounding the rivers could be a catalyst for the River Stewards program. Although the most meaningful service the River Stewards do tends to be in our smaller groups where relationships can be created and mutually beneficial, I think we should utilize the reach we do have to potentially spread the river love all over campus!

What is river stewardship? by Tessa O'Halloran, 2024 Cohort

     I am not sure if I have ever thought of an exact definition of river stewardship before. I have

heard this term used before obviously, but to put it in my own words seems to have stumped

me. As I turned to Google however, I found that the Oxford dictionary defines stewardship as,

“the job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property”. River

stewardship is the direct action of taking care and supervising the river. Now who is a river

steward and portrays river stewardship at its best?

    Someone who I believe represents a perfect example of a river steward would be Phil or Katie,

two individuals who work for the city of Dayton’s water department. Two individuals who gave

the 2024 cohort an awesome tour of the wastewater treatment plant on 2/18/2022. Phil has

been working at the wastewater treatment plant for over forty years. For over forty years Phil

has been making sure that water used by the general population for showers, restroom

activities, and drinking is cleaned and properly put back into the river.They directly look over and

care for the river. They do this through innovation. Innovation is a key part to river stewardship.

Without hard work and innovative inventions (like the systems used in the drinking water and

wastewater plant), our rivers would not be able to sustain themselves.

    Honestly, I do not believe I am at the point where I can use myself as a good example of a river

steward. I still accumulate too much waste. I at times participate in buying from corporations

who do not follow river steward protocol. I recognize these actions as obstacles in my path to

becoming the best river steward. I would define river stewardship as a process and/or a journey.

I believe river stewardship relies heavily on innovation. We can try to understand the

psychology and habits of people and ourselves (post as many hashtags as we want), but

nothing will change without innovation. Innovation allows us to find connections and solve

problems. It has been awesome to learn about river stewardship and ways to reflect on my

actions that affect the river.

On River Stewardship by Gillian Leone, 2024 Cohort

When posed the question of what is river stewardship, there are many words that initially come to mind. These include service, leadership, wellness, effort, community, bonds, water, protection and many others. But, there is one word that in particular stands out to me; understanding.

I believe that a large component of river stewardship is taking the gracious time out of your own day in order to understand. Taking time to understand facilitates an environment in order to make deeper connections that those who briefly walked by wouldn’t notice at first. 

I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with so many different organizations in the past year. Being able to serve under organizations that all share the same source that provides life to us; the river, is such a beautiful and unique experience. 

Understanding the river and its complexity is something that not only takes time, but a large desire to want to be a part of something bigger. After being a river steward for shy of a  year, I’ve had a plethora of experiences that I would consider to be “full-circle” experiences. Being a river steward means being able to take in these “full-circle” experiences, understanding them, and applying them to other areas of your life so that others can benefit from them.

Being a river steward means understanding that our relationships in life are very complicated, but they are what hold us together at the end of the day. Recognizing the importance of these relationships and their connection to the river is a large aspect of river stewardship.

I had the opportunity to work for the Mission of Mary this past year. The Mission of Mary Cooperative works with sustainable urban development that is rooted in community. Mission of Mary manages a network of 6 urban farming plots and they grow over 100 different kinds of vegetables and fruits. After working under this organization, there was one main thought that came to mind; what is the one thing that allows this organization to thrive? Yes, a group of hard workers. Yes, money and land. But, most importantly, the backbone of being able to grow and provide for many community members is, you guessed it, water!

When you are a river steward, everything flows back to the thing that gives us life; water. Having a larger understanding

of the role water plays in our life (it provides us life, gives us recreation, gives us a place to meetetc) is the root of what being a river steward is.