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Welcome

Thank you for visiting the WaterLINK website. WaterLINK is a service-learning project available to college and university faculty and community watersheds in Kansas. WaterLINK is funded by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment through EPA 319 funds. WaterLINK aims to infuse service learning into the college classroom, with the main goal of improving water quality through community/campus partnerships.

A watershed is an area of land in which all rain, snowmelt, and smaller tributaries flow downhill into the same body of water. Projects may range from developing educational materials for producers on best management practices to reduce water contamination from agricultural land to conducting community water education fairs or stream monitoring. Projects are designed to reinforce class learning objectives. We aim to engage students and faculty from all majors and interests.

A key component in service learning is the drive to mutually benefit both the community and the student. The end result enhances students' self-efficacy, provides a true mastery of course objectives, and builds interpersonal, teambuilding and leadership skills. The community benefits from exposure and access to university resources, and services meeting community-identified needs.

Mini grants are available to enhance class instruction and cover material/travel costs. Grants range from $250 to $7,500. Training and support on service-learning, curriculum modification and watershed management is also available. Collaborative projects are encouraged.