Water Festival 2023 teaches Albany area students to appreciate precious resource
By Alan Mauldin
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ALBANY (Albany Herald) — From the Flint River and its tributaries, Radium Springs and plentiful holding ponds that hold storm runoff, and to the frequent thunderstorms, water is a big part of life in southwest Georgia.
This week, Dougherty County School System elementary school students learned the value and benefits that water brings to their lives and how to help protect this precious resource.
The two-day Water Festival, hosted by Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful, provided more than 500 students with presentations and hands-on demonstrations on topics including irrigation, mosquito control, watersheds, conservation, weather and protecting water quality in forests.
“The third-graders are really sharp,” said Bert Earley, a forest water specialist with the Georgia Forestry Commission office in Albany who was at the festival for a fifth year. “It’s great to expose them to what we do from the forestry side.”
Earley’s presentation included discussion of best management practices used in forestry to protect soil and water. He also explained the benefits of trees in terms of products they provide and how they protect waterways.
“Our main mission is to protect and manage forests,” he said. “Our water quality program makes sure everything is done to protect water quality. With water being such an important resource, it’s important.
“They’re our future, so exposing them to ways to protect one of our most important resources is very important.”
For Lake Park Elementary School teacher Jennifer Johnson, this year’s festival was her first time attending as well as for her students. It provided some great lessons for them, she said.
“It really helps for them as they prepare for Milestones,” Johnson said, referring to the Georgia Milestones Assessment for third-grade students. “It helps with the vocabulary. It helps out with their learning with science within the classroom.”
At the farm irrigation station, the excitement was a chance to buzz in for a quiz game that Lee County extension agent Doug Collins held after his presentation. During his presentation Collins discussed various types of farm irrigation.
“Water and agriculture may not be so exciting,” he said. “All kids enjoy competition, so they enjoyed the game.”
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