Hi. My name is Joy. I'm a zookeeper here in the Shores region at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. And I'm going to talk to you today about why it's important to clean up your waterways.

[singer vocalizing]

(Describer) In animation, Planet Earth rotates in outer space, with three green arrows circling clockwise. A title: How to Save the Planet at Home. Local Waterways.

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The Columbus Zoo is located alongside of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir which is fed by the Sciota River, and this is our view of work every day when we come here. This is our shoreline for the Shores region. So, every day, we get to see anything from wildlife that happens to be back here, but we also get to see the trash that is washed down the river as well. So, in 2017 we decided it was time to organize a cleanup for the zoo employees to come and attend, and we picked up two truckloads of trash-- so, I don't know, weight-wise maybe about 150 to 200 pounds of trash. We've picked up everything from discarded tires, trash cans, and lots and lots of plastic-- so, plastic wrappers for food, feminine product items. We had plastic containers for food as well. So, anything that was thrown away that might go in the trash, it ended up here in the river. Whether or not it was a water bottle that didn't make it to the recycling bin and just washed downstream, we were here to pick it up.

(Describer) Statistics appear, including: Each year: 1.4 billion pounds of trash enter the oceans.

One of the reasons I love doing these cleanups so much is that you get to interact with the local wildlife and see many different species-- from birds, to turtles, different reptiles, garter snakes, and water snakes. But all of this goes towards some of the species that you don't see, such as one of my favorites, the Eastern hellbender. They're sometimes called the "snot otter." And how can you not love an animal with the nickname snot otter?

(Describer) A salamander.

They can grow up to two feet in length, and they are mostly under rocks. But what makes them so important and critical with these cleanups is that they are indicator species, because they are one of the first animals to really be affected by pollution in their waterways, whether it's chemicals, fertilizer runoff, or even silt from eroding land and farmland. This can affect the hellbender. They have very sensitive skin. They actually absorb oxygen through it, and any chemicals or pollutants in the water. Hellbenders live in streams, which are aquatic ecosystems. Other aquatic ecosystems include: rivers, lakes, oceans, ponds, and even vernal pools that aren't there year-round. These ecosystems are diverse, vast, and home to a wide variety of animals. However, they're in distress due to human activity, some of which we can modify to make a positive impact for wildlife. So we, as in the world, all of us, are not disposing of our waste properly. So even though some ecosystems are massive, that does not mean that they are limitless and can take on as much trash over time. There are consequences to our actions.

(Describer) Something very important to realize is that all aquatic ecosystems are connected.

So that means in your town, your city, suburb, or farm, whatever water you get there will eventually wash to the ocean. That also means that if you toss out a piece of trash, and it doesn't make it into a recycling bin or the trash can, it'll wash down through the storm drains, to the rivers, and eventually to the ocean. So whether we're the ones littering, or we're the ones just walking by litter on the ground and not picking it up, we can change our behavior and stop the problem where it starts and be the ones to start a new wave of change. So there are two essential things that you can do to start making a difference: one, volunteer and clean up your local watershed or surrounding areas; and two, be mindful of the litter around you and pick it up. Thank you for watching, and tune in next time to learn ways on how you can help save the planet right at home.

(Describer) In animation, Planet Earth rotates in outer space, with three green arrows circling clockwise. How to Save the Planet at Home. Copyright Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. YouTube: /ColumbusZooMedia; Facebook: /ColumbusZoo Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.