Local Students Learn About World Water Day

HANCOCK – Happy World Water Day! This year the United Nations celebration focuses on an invisible source, deep under our feet…groundwater. Students at Hancock Middle School learned just how precious water is in the world.   Claire Fidler, an MTU sustainability student, led the presentation, quizzing students on where water is most likely to be found.

“They got to do a globe toss. Where they figure out the percentage of Earth’s surface that is covered by water. As well as get to work hands on with some water distribution. To distribute what they predicted was the percent of Earth’s water in each different location.” – Clare Fidler, MTU Student

Students were challenged to determine how much water is in the world’s oceans, lakes, rivers and below the ground. Fidler hopes the students she’s met at Hancock, Chassell and Lake Linden’s schools take away new knowledge and a curiosity for the world around them. She said showing kids how water and sustainability come together is something she enjoys.

“First and foremost, sustainability is very important, when thinking about our impact on the Earth it is something that we should all do throughout our daily lives. As well as that all these different systems are highly, highly connected. Groundwater is not separate from the oceans, and oceans aren’t separate from our atmosphere. And all of these different systems are so inter-connected.” – Clare Fidler, MTU Student

Water is a resource we have plenty of around the Upper Peninsula. Other regions of the world are not so lucky. It’s estimated that the United States largest source of ground water, the Ogallala Aquifer’s water table, is reduced by 2 feet a year. Ground water makes up the largest amount of readily available drinking water in the world, making protecting the resource deep below the ground a top priority.