Charlotte Biology Students Recognized for Environmental Volunteer Efforts
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| October 2025Storm Water Services Monthly Volunteer Newsletter |
| It’s finally fall, and you won’t be-LEAF all the great ways to get involved this month! Check out what our volunteers have been up to and how you can contribute to healthy streams in October! |
| Volunteer Spotlight! |
 We would like to highlight Professor Goff’s Freshman class at UNC Charlotte as October’s Volunteers of the Month! Students participate in our Collegiate Monitoring Program and are monitoring Toby Creek by sampling for E. coli. During sampling events, students use R-cards that grow colonies of bacteria, which inform our staff about bacteria levels in the creek. The work these students are doing helps to advance research by comparing R-card data to other methods of measuring E. coli in surface water. It also assists our staff in tracking down sources of pollution. Thank you for your hard work, students! |
| New Volunteer Registration Page! |
 Starting next month (November), all of our volunteer and educational events will be on our new Storm Water Services Event Registration Page through Mecklenburg County’s Volunteer Connect Platform. Our October events are still on SignUpGenius, but November events are now live on the new platform! When you sign up for an event on the new registration page, be sure to sign up as a fan so you can receive notifications about upcoming events! Visit, volunteer.mecknc.gov/agency/detail/StormWaterServices/ to register! |
| Join Our New Roots-For-Rivers Program! |
 Each year, Storm Water Services partners with the Charlotte Public Tree Fund to plant trees that help reforest the floodplain. Did you know that these sites are available for your team to adopt? There are currently 10 sites available around Mecklenburg County with trees in need of care! Caring for these tree sites helps them survive longer, while also slowing erosion in the floodplain and providing healthier habitat for wildlife. Adoption requires that you visit your tree site at least twice a year to prune, remove invasive species, and provide any other maintenance needs at your site. If you have a team interested in the Roots-For-Rivers program, reach out to Matt Peine at STW-Volunteers@MeckNC.gov. |
| Calling All Students! |
 Community service is often an important part of clubs such as National Honor Society, Beta Club, and IB programs! Volunteering with us is a great way to make an impact in your community while also fulfilling some of the volunteer hours needed to participate is these great organizations! There are many ways to volunteer with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services. We host at least two volunteer events each month or you can participate in our other programs such as Adopt-A-Stream, Volunteer Monitoring, Storm Drain Marking, Adopt-A-Drain, and Roots-For-Rivers! Check out our Volunteer Page to learn about how you or your team can get involved or email STW-Volunteers@MeckNC.gov. |
| Creek ReLeaf! |
 The Creek ReLeaf Program is a collaborative effort of the Charlotte Public Tree Fund, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, dedicated volunteers and financial supporters to plant trees in riparian areas (floodplain and stream buffers) of Mecklenburg County. This year, Creek ReLeaf will take place on November 22nd from 9am to 12pm, and volunteers will be planting native trees and live stakes along Mallard Creek near UNCC’s Campus. Visit the Creek ReLeaf webpage for more info and registration. We will also have volunteers help with harvesting live stakes for this event at Chantilly Park on November 11th, 2025 10am-12pm. Register for the event. |
| The Catawba Riversweep |
 The Catawba Riversweep is an annual event where residents from all over the Catawba-Wateree River Basin come together to clean up this shared waterway. On October 4, 2025, thousands of neighbors will come together at dozens of sites from Lake James to Lake Wateree and everywhere in between. It will be a day of hard work, fun, fellowship, and action! Storm Water Services will be hosting the Latta Nature Preserve site this year on Mountain Island Lake, so we hope to see you there! Registration is currently closed but there are a few site that will take walk up volunteers. For more information, visit catawbariverkeeper.org/riversweep. |
| Upcoming Events |
| For more information, register on our SignUpGenius. 10/11/2025, 10am-12pm – Stream Cleanup @ Marsh Park9925 Leitner Dr, Pineville, NC 28134 10/30/2025, 11am-12pm – Tree Maintenance & Tree ID1100 Wilhaven Dr, Charlotte, NC 28211 10/31/2025, 10am-12pm – Halloween Park, Street & Stream Cleanup (Wear A Costume!)715 Charlottetowne Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204 Register for events from November and beyond, on our new Event Registration Page! 11/8/2025 – Stream Cleanup @ Griers Grove1325 McAllister Dr. Charlotte, NC 28216 You can also find Storm Water Services here: Catawba Riversweep10/4/2025, 9am-12pmVarious LocationsMore Info Sustainability Fair10/4/2025. 10am-2pmSolid Waste Services Headquarters; 1105 Otts St Kids in Nature Day10/4/2025, 10am-1pmSquirrel Lake Park, 1631 Pleasant Plains Road, Matthews, NC 28105More Info Nature at Night10/18/2025, 5pm-9pmMcDowell Nature Preserve, 15222 York Road, Charlotte, NC 28278More Info |
 Visit StormWater.CharMeck.org for more information about stormwater pollution prevention, projects, volunteer programs, and much more!Notice of AccommodationsMecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte are committed to ensuring that our programs, services, and activities are accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternative formats, language access and other reasonable modifications will be provided. To make a request, please contact Taylor Mebane at stormwater@mecknc.gov or 980-402-4206. |
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