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Friday, September 24, marked the 13th year of Chisago County Children’s Water Festival.  Once again this year, approximately 700 fifth grade students from  Chisago County converged on Ojiketa Regional Park in Chisago City for this day-long, hands-on, learning opportunity.  Since 2003, over 9,000 students from the North Branch Middle School, Wyoming Elementary, Taylors Falls Elementary, Rush City Elementary, Forest Lake North Lakes Academy and Chisago Lakes Lakeside School have taken part in this event.

Along with their teachers and parent chaperones, the students learned a great deal about how important the current and future quality of our water should be to us and what they can do to protect it.   We had live fish, frogs, and salamanders, invasive species, invertebrates and plenty of other activities to keep everyone moving throughout the day.   Students learned how a septic system works, experimented with water runoff, water saturation into our ground, learned about mammals that rely on good water quality and became a water drop traveling through its life cycle as well as macro invertebrates.  This year also featured the In the CLIMB (Creative Learning Ideas for Mind and Body) Theatre, and Pete Boulay from the State Climatology Office.  All of the stations do an awesome job teaching the kids the importance of our precious water resource by using hands on activities for the students.

Many thanks to the over 100 volunteers and presenters from various agencies (including many University of River Falls college students); without you this event wouldn’t run as smoothly as it did.   Also, thanks to the many organizations and companies who provided funds and/or goods to make the 2015 water festival another great one!

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