Students Dive Into Learning About Water

More than 700 elementary and middle school students from a three county area took part in the 7th annual Lake Superior Water Festival Wednesday.  The event was hosted by Michigan Tech and brought 4th through 8th Graders from Houghton, Baraga, and Gogebic counties to the Great Lakes Research Center.

Coordinated by the MTU Center for Science & Environmental Outreach, area students spent the day at Michigan Tech studying the importance of water management and how that affects our daily living.

Michigan Tech’s Joan Chadde said, “We’re going to learn about the science, but we’re also going to learn about creative writing and native plants and how they can be used for food and medicines.”

This year’s festival brings a younger group of students than last year as the event alternates between high school grades and secondary classes each year.

Chadde said, “This year, it’s for students in grades 4-8. They’re interacting with scientists, graduate students, and community folks representing from Copper Harbor Trails Club to Isle Royal National Park, and others, and they’re learning about Lake Superior in a wide variety of ways.”

Other community leaders joined in such as representatives from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and the US Coast Guard, who discussed maritime safety and allowed the children to step aboard a 47 foot motor lifeboat.

Chadde said, “It’s an exciting place. It’s an exciting day of learning. They’re interacting with people who are passionate about what they do. It’s a super fun day and we look forward to it every year.”

Wednesday’s topics covered a wide range of water related items including pollution of the Great Lakes and invasive species, to precipitation and building a fog harvester.

“We hope that students are inspired and also it further enhances their appreciation for this wonderful lake that they live right next to,” Chadde said.

Chadde says that creating interactive learning experiences for the children helps them to retain the information provided and will contribute to the future care of the local watershed.  “They are our future. They are our future stewards, they’re our future decision makers, they’re the future citizens here that will need to protect this wonderful lake because we all depend on it. Our economy depends on it, our quality of life, businesses–so we need to protect this awesome resource and this is an opportunity to inspire the next generation to do that,” she said.

Next year’s festival will bring the return of 9th through 12th graders.

Chadde said, “Water connects Everything. Nothing can live without water. So that’s the way we present the Water Festival.”