World Water Day at the Park

At the Chino Creek Park, World Water Day was a huge success thanks to SAWA!!            

SAWA facilitated two World Water Day events at the park on March 21, 2012 & March 23, 2012. A total of 170 girls from Girl Scouts of the U.S.A participated in the event to earn their water badge. The event featured hands-on activities; Water Experiments, “Made of Water” activity, Water Pledge, Snake Encounter and a Park Scavenger Hunt.

Thank you to all the Girl Scout Troops that participated in World Water Day at the Chino Creek Wetlands and Educational Park!

World Water Day has been observed on 22 March since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared 22 March as World Day for Water.

There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. Statistics say that each of us drinks from 2 to 4 litres of water every day, however most of the water we ‘drink’ is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilo of beef for example consumes 15,000 litres of water while 1 kilo of wheat ’drinks up’ 1,500 litres.

For more infromation on World Water Day: http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/

What is a Wetland?

What is a wetland? 

Wetlands are among the most distinct and productive ecosystems on earth providing habitat to diverse communities of plant, animal and fish species. Wetlands also play a critical role in maintaining the health of the natural environment by filtering chemical and biological components from ground and surface water.

Wetlands are the link between land and water. They are transition zones where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients, and the energy of the sun meet to produce unique ecosystems characterized by hydrology, soils, and vegetation – making these areas very important features of a watershed. Wetlands contribute to the natural processes that keep our water clean – including groundwater and the water in our lakes, rivers and streams.

Wetlands are home to more than one-third of North America’s threatened and endangered species. For many animals and plants, wetlands are the only places they can live. For others, wetlands provide important food, water, or shelter. Many of the North American breeding bird populations feed, nest, and raise their young in wetlands. Migratory waterfowl use wetlands as resting, feeding, breeding, or nesting grounds for at least part of the year.

Information from: http://www.downatthepond.ca/

Centennial HS Water Discovery Program 2/28/12

Thank you to the students from Centennial High School that participated in the Water Discovery Program on Tuesday, Feb. 28. As part of the program, the students did a service learning project in the demonstration garden. Students helped with weeding and removal of some fencing. We appreciated all of their hard work and hope they enjoyed learning about the wetlands during their visit.