What happens in your small watershed also affects the larger river basin downstream. The river basin highway sign program is a partnership between the NC Department of Transportation and the Office of Environmental Education. The signs increase awareness of the state s river basins, yet people are still confused about the concept of a river basin especially since often the terms river basin and watershed are used interchangeably. Some of you may be very familiar with these concepts, for others they may be new. This activity is one that you can use easily to explain river basins and watersheds to family, friends, colleagues or students.
Activity Give all participants a piece of paper and colored pens.
Take a piece of blank paper and scrunch it up. Pretend you are flying over your miniature landscape. Use a marker to draw lines where you think the water will go. With a different color, draw lines along the ridgelines, where water on one side goes into one stream and on the other to a different stream. These are the boundaries of your watersheds.