Illinois EPA Director announces $5,000 grant for Living Lands and Waters educational workshop

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. --- Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director Doug Scott announced today that the Agency has approved a $5,000 grant for Living Lands and Waters, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the beautification of America's waterways in order to fund a four-day workshop for teachers.  The staff travels up and down America's rivers restoring shorelines and educating others about the importance of our rivers as natural resources. 

 

Sixth through 12^th grade science and social studies teachers from throughout the Midwest, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota board the organization's barge today in St. Louis.  The group will spend four days learning about the Mississippi River's history before docking in Hannibal on Saturday.

 

During the workshop, educators will listen to presentations by experts in the field, including staff from the Illinois EPA.  Steve Kolsto, Coordinator of Education for Surface Water for the Illinois EPA, and Kristi Morris-Richards, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Illinois EPA, will take participants out on the river in smaller boats in order to give a hands-on presentation explaining the importance of water quality and how monitoring equipment can be used to show the quality of the water.  After receiving an explanation of how to use the various pieces of equipment, including the Secchi disk, teachers will have the chance to use the equipment to take measurements. 

 

Educators will have the chance to participate in a "Secchi Dip-In;" they will learn how to use the "Secchi disk," a flat, black and white disk that is lowered by a rope into the water until it can no longer be seen.  The depth at which the disk disappears is a measure of the water's transparency.

 

And in order to commemorate the anniversary of the Secchi Dip-In, which takes place between June 24 and July 16, Dr. Bob Carlson from Kent State University in Ohio, founder of the Secchi Dip-In, will be on hand to discuss water transparency and demonstrate the Dip-In. 

 

According to the Illinois EPA's Steve Kolsto, this is not the first time the Agency has teamed up with Living Lands and Waters in an effort to teach educators about the importance of Illinois' waterways.  But, says Kolsto, this grant gives teachers the opportunity to participate in a Secchi Dip-In with the event's founder, a unique experience teachers will be able to share with students.

 

The grant is being provided through the Illinois EPA as part of Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act.  The purpose of the Illinois EPA's Section 319 Program is to work with local government and other organizations to protect water quality in Illinois through the control of non-point source pollution. The program provides funds to implement projects that utilize cost-effective best management practices to protect Illinois' water resources.

 

The vibrant Living Lands and Waters barge transports groups throughout the country and is brightly painted and festooned with banners recognizing sponsors; it also provides a home away from home for crew members and includes a classroom where staff holds educational workshops for teachers in an effort to impart knowledge about river ecosystems for them to take back to their classrooms.

 

 

 

 

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