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Maria Anderson
By Producer, Kelly Meinhart
 aking
an impact on those around you, and taking charge of your environment
to make things better isn't something that takes a lifetime
of commitment or education to do. This month's Watershed Hero,
Maria Anderson, is proof of that.
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a senior in high school, Maria has proven that all it takes
is desire to make a difference. At 18, she has already completed
three stream buffer restoration projects at farms within her
community — hoping that incorporating best management practices
like fencing cattle out of the streams and planting trees will
help to improve the water quality of the French Creek Watershed
where she lives.
 t
all started when she was a kid. Maria will tell you that her
main influences are her father, and her 5th grade science teacher,
Mr. Bender. She says that her dad was always doing something
outside, and she wanted to be with him — so she began to
enjoy the great outdoors at an early age just by spending time
with her dad. But it was her classroom studies that really sparked
her desire to get involved with environmental issues. Maria's
been lucky to have two inspirational teachers, Mr. Bender, and
her current Biology teacher, Mr. Drake. Both have encouraged
her natural talents and skills to flourish, and have used her
commitment and accomplishments as an example with other students.
Mr. Drake says that "With so many negative influences out there
these days, it's refreshing to have someone so young and so
passionate about what she's doing to be there as a role model
for others to follow."
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of the things that is most striking about Maria is her comfort
level. It's not often that you meet an 18 year old with the
intelligence and self-confidence that Maria displays. Her outwardly
positive disposition and casual approach make everyone around
her feel like old friends. Personally, I was impressed with
the way she 'held her own' so to speak with environmental professionals.
One might think that a young student would be nervous working
with seasoned professionals, but not Maria — she fit right
in. Brian Pilarcik, Watershed Specialist for Crawford County,
has worked with Maria on the restoration projects and writes:
" Maria Anderson is an inspiration to work with. I have never met a high school student with as much drive and energy as Maria. I have seen her volunteer at the office during school vacation days, work evenings and weekends all in preparation of one of the projects. She does this while maintaining her schoolwork and working another job. When the project day comes she is the first person at the site in the morning and one of the last to leave at the end of the day. Maria's leadership skills are exceptional. By the age of 18 she has learned the fine art of motivation and leading by example."
aria
uses those qualities to encourage her friends and classmates
to volunteer for the projects she organizes. The first major
project Maria organized was the restoration of the Infield Farm,
which is situated along Muddy Creek. This dairy farm was in
need of a little help to keep the cattle from trekking through
the creek, destroying the banks, and creating a muddy grazing
area. The project was to be her senior project, required for
graduation.
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 he
began organizing it in her junior year, and spent countless
study hall and after school hours planning the restoration,
which would take place in May 2002. Under the direction of her
teacher, Jason Drake, Maria convinced 120 of her fellow classmates
to spend the day getting their hands dirty. When all was said
and done, the group had installed 2700 feet of fencing along
Muddy Run, planted 30 trees, 400 live stakes and removed invasive
plant species from the property.
 he
project was a huge success, and today the cows have restricted
access to Muddy Creek, the streambanks are stable, and the trees
they planted are taking root. Another positive is that the cows
are now grazing in a healthy, dry area rather than a muddy streambank.
But Maria's work hasn't stopped there — since then she
has continued to organize additional streambank restoration
projects within the French Creek Watershed, with the most recent
being completed at the Glenn Kenney Farm which sits on an un-named
tributary to French Creek. The students planted around 2700
hardwoods and softwoods along the stream. They also strung about
a mile of high tensile fence along the streambanks to fence
the livestock out. A side project was the installation of a
water control structure.
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aria
graduates this June, and will be attending Penn State to major
in environmental studies. She hopes to work with the professors
at Penn State to establish a hands-on streambank restoration
program with the students at PSU, and is looking forward to
her career. Good luck to Maria, and congratulations to her and
her teachers, fellow classmates, and partners in restoring the
streambanks within French Creek!
See past Watershed Heroes here!
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