Annual Water Festival
Each year the Festival is flooded with almost a thousand fifth grade teachers and their students for a fun-filled day of educational activities and demonstrations. The Annual Water Festival offers over 30 hands-on activity stations promoting water resource awareness, including canoe rides, fishing, including an aquarium with historic fishes, such as the paddlefish and gar, fishes native to the Mississippi River. Participating teachers can receive free materials and resources to incorporate water conservation education into their classrooms during a one-day teacher workshop held in advance of the Water Festival.
Without continuing support from NGRREC sponsors, this regional environmental education event would not be possible. Future tax-deductible donations will enable us to continue providing high quality water education resources to teachers and students in southwestern Illinois.
Highlights from 2009
The Water Festival included a new energy componet. Lewis and Clark Community College, in partnership with the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, welcomed the Seventh Annual Water Stewardship Festival to the campus of Lewis and Clark in Godfrey on May 8, 2009. Lewis and Clark is a founding member of the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network as supported by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The College's Institute for Environmental Sustainability supports a wide range of campus and community initiatives realted to sustainability, energy conservation, and renewable energy, including the Water Festival.
The Festival began on Monday, May 4 with a Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) workshop at the National Great Rivers Museum. Participating teachers became Project WET certified and also received curriculum from the National Energy Education Development (NEED) and KidWind Projects. The workshop prepared them for the Festival held on May 8, offered curricular materials and ideas for science lessons on water and energy education, and provided CPDU credit for participating teachers. The Water Stewardship project is funded by generous contributions form corporate sponsors including Illinois American Water, KidWind, National Energy Education Development Project, Federation for Water and Energy Education, Great Rivers Land Trust, Southern Regional Groundwater Protection Planning Committee, Madison County Planning and Development Office, BP Products of North America, Global Brass and Copper, ConocoPhillips, Dynegy Midwest Generation, AEP River Operations, Pepsi Americas, and Wal-Mart. The Water Festival is directed by a planning committee composed of 21 members, which consists of fifth-grade teachers, environmental educators, and representatives of local, county, state, and federal environmental agencies. Event coordinators Marcia Lochmann and Jessica Pascoe said they are excited about the new energy componet and are hoping that it can become its own separate event in 2010. The Water Festival consisted of an array of hands-on educational activities, conducted by experts on water and energy. New exhibitors this year included Principia College Solar Car Team, Earthways Center, Ameren UE, Lights for Learning, and Big Muddy Adventures. The water dog show returned to provide "halftime" entertainment for the students as they gathered around Chapman Pond to enjoy lunch.
2010 WaterFestival
For more information on the Fall 2010 "Dive-In" Water Festival, or to become an event sponsor, contact Sarah Carney at (618) 468-4810 or e-mail us at
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