First White River Report Card celebrated with canoe race

Caleb Amick, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·2 min read

Jul. 1—DALEVILLE — "Fun on purpose" was used to describe a canoe race Friday afternoon from Yorktown to Daleville.

Seventeen teams of two raced along the White River, including Jill's Demise (also known as Turtle Teamers) and Love Boat.

Results were divided into male, female and coed categories. Top spots were taken by Burke Engineering (female), Nielsen Schmilson (male) and Jill's Demise (coed).

Friday's event marked the release of the first-ever White River Report Card from a team of organizations including the White River Alliance to assess the health of the Upper White River Watershed.

Like a school report card, grades were given in different categories — in this case, water, land and community.

The Upper White River Watershed, which encompasses a 2,720-square-mile area from near Winchester to beyond Martinsville, scored a "C" for "moderate health."

Scores were distributed according to benchmarks such as aquatic life, bacteria and wetland change.

Bacteria and wetland change were highlighted as areas of concern in the watershed.

The watershed had surplus bacteria caused by human and animal waste leaking into the water, said Kelly Brown, senior environmental coordinator for White River Alliance, during the pre-race presentation of the report card.

Such leakage was attributed to lackluster or outdated wastewater infrastructure.

The watershed received an "F" in the wetland change category, which refers to the state of nearby wetlands. The failing mark was attributed to extensive loss of wetlands. Sarah Reilly, White River project director of the Nature Conservancy, said recent legislation hasn't helped.

Reilly said recent legislation relaxed regulations pertaining to wetlands.

Matthew Carter, a representative of Visit Indy, said events like the canoe race could help people discover an area of concern to address to help make the watershed a better place.

Combining environmental information with fun events allows people to have "fun on purpose," encouraging them to help protect the watershed, according to Carter.

Susie McGovern, a representative of the Hoosier Environmental Council, was there to do both.

Just before the race, McGovern stressed the importance of rivers and other bodies of water, saying, "We all need water."

Follow Caleb Amick on Twitter @AmickCaleb. Contact him at caleb.amick@heraldbulletin.com or 765-648-4254.