Protecting Louisiana's Waterways: A Scouting Opportunity to Serve

A Message to Southeast Louisiana Council Volunteers

Louisiana's rivers, bayous, lakes, marshes, and shorelines are among our state's greatest natural treasures. They support wildlife, recreation, fishing, tourism, and our unique culture. As Scouts and Scouters, we are called to be good stewards of the outdoors, making the new statewide Love Our Waterways initiative a meaningful opportunity to put the Scout Oath and Scout Law into action.

Throughout the month of September, Keep Louisiana Beautiful is inviting volunteers, schools, businesses, civic organizations, and community groups to participate in Love Our Waterways, a statewide effort to remove litter and debris from Louisiana's waterways and shorelines. The campaign encourages communities to work together to protect the state's 14,400-mile waterway system—one of Louisiana's most valuable natural resources.

Why It Matters

Did you know that approximately 80% of litter found in waterways begins on land? Trash left on streets, sidewalks, and parking lots is carried by rain into storm drains, ditches, bayous, rivers, and lakes before eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Because Louisiana sits at the mouth of the Mississippi River watershed, our waterways are also affected by debris carried from many other states.

Every piece of litter we remove helps protect fish and wildlife, improves water quality, and preserves the beauty of our communities for future generations.

A Natural Fit for Scouting

The principles of conservation, citizenship, service, and outdoor ethics have always been central to Scouting. Love Our Waterways provides an outstanding opportunity for:

• Cub Scout Packs
• Scouts BSA Troops
• Venturing Crews
• Sea Scout Ships
• Exploring Posts
• Order of the Arrow Chapters
• Districts and Council committees

to organize service projects that make a visible difference in their local communities.

Whether your unit adopts a neighborhood bayou, cleans a shoreline, removes litter from a local park, or partners with another community organization, your efforts demonstrate Scouting's commitment to leaving every place better than we found it.

Resources Available

Keep Louisiana Beautiful provides tools to help cleanup organizers succeed, including:

• Volunteer recruitment and promotional materials
• Social media graphics
• Event planning resources
• Data collection worksheets
• Volunteer sign-in and liability forms
• Educational materials for youth
• Supply boxes (available to the first qualifying registered cleanup groups while supplies last)

Collecting cleanup data is also an important part of the initiative. Volunteers are encouraged to document the types of litter removed and report larger debris that cannot be safely collected, so partner agencies can coordinate future removal efforts.

How Your Unit Can Participate

As you plan your fall program, consider incorporating a Love Our Waterways cleanup into your unit calendar. It can serve as:

• A conservation service project
• A rank advancement opportunity where applicable
• A conservation-themed outing
• A community partnership activity
• A meaningful way to demonstrate environmental stewardship

Working together, our volunteers and Scouts can help preserve the natural beauty that makes Southeast Louisiana such a special place to live, work, and explore.

Be the Difference

Every bag of litter collected, every shoreline restored, and every Scout who learns the importance of conservation helps build stronger communities and healthier ecosystems.

Thank you for continuing to live the ideals of Scouting through service to others and stewardship of God's creation.

Let's show Louisiana what Scouting service looks like—one waterway at a time!

https://keeplouisianabeautiful.org/love-our-waterways/