Students Learn Lessons in Sustainability at Water Festival

Children's Water Festival 2014 405About 600 fourth, fifth and sixth grade students and their teachers from 11 area schools flowed into UMaine’s Field House Tuesday for a day of fun and interactive learning about clean water, wetland ecosystems and the importance of stewarding Maine’s most rapidly renewable resource.

The Northern Maine Children’s Water Festival is organized through a partnership of UMaine Cooperative Extension 4H, Maine Sea Grant, UMaine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine CDC Drinking Water Program, and other agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Elementary and/or middle schools from Howland, Milford, Hermon, Brewer, Glenburn, Fort Fairfield, Enfield, Surry, Bangor, Sedgwick and Hampden attended.

Activities included Dripial Pursuit, a quiz show on water issues with VIP hosts; classroom activities led by leading environmental educators from the State and other organizations; a “Watershed Connections” stage show presented by Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center; and plenty of time to tour the exhibit hall, where there were interactive displays–including exhibits explaining what makes soil healthy, how pollution gets into our water, what sea animals we can farm, how to find leaky pipes, and more.

What new knowledge did students walk away with?

“Like about the pollution, water sheds… About lots of things,” said Aishwarya, an All Saints Catholic School student.

“Really cool because I’ve never been here before and it’s pretty awesome,” said her classmate Hannah.

Participants included volunteers from dozens of other collaborators including colleges and universities, local, state and federal agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Participating schools included: Hichborn Middle School, Dr. Lewis S. Libby School, Hermon Middle School, Brewer Community School, Glenburn Elementary School, Fort Fairfield Middle School, Enfield Station School, Surry Elementary School, All Saints Catholic School, Sedgwick Elementary School, and Weatherbee School.