From Alabama Wildlife Federation
Millbrook, Alabama
The Alabama Nature Center (ANC) in collaboration with the Elmore County School System held the Elmore County Water Festival at the ANC in Millbrook. This five-day event targeted all sixth grade public school students from Elmore County. Schools that participated were Eclectic Middle, Holtville Middle, Millbrook Middle, Redland Middle and Wetumpka Middle.
The program was specifically designed to discuss the water cycle and the importance of clean water, including our personal responsibility for water resources in an educational, fun and engaging atmosphere.
Students were exposed to water through a wide variety of activities including:
- Creek Hike – The hike in Still Creek sparked a discussion about how humans contribute to the overall health of our waterways, including man’s effects on water quality, erosion and pollution. Students learned that our drinking water is the result of a treatment/filtering process provided by our local water systems. They also saw firsthand what happens to precipitation when it reaches the earth’s surface by tracing water’s journey from its source as a natural spring to its destination in a stream. They also learned about the extraordinary aquatic biodiversity we have in the state of Alabama.
- Fishing – Students experienced a type of aquatic recreation by using cane poles to fish in one of the ANC’s ponds. Guides also discussed what other animals and plants live in the pond ecosystem.
- Aquatic Life Roundup – Students explored the myriad of life that is supported by a pond while using nets to sample for animals that live there. Students discovered how animals adapt to aquatic life and how their survival is related to water quality.
- Aquatic Animal Presentation – Students had the opportunity to meet several of the ANC’s education animals, including water snakes, turtles, salamanders, frogs and alligators.
Many thanks to our funding partners: Alabama Power Company, Max Credit Union, Elmore Water & Sewer Authority, Central Elmore Water & Sewer Authority, Wetumpka Water Works & Sewer Board, Elmore County Soil & Water Conservation District, Elmore County Community Foundation, Prattville Millbrook Sunrise Rotary Club and Goodwyn Mills Cawood.
The Alabama Nature Center, a hands-on outdoor education facility located in Millbrook, Alabama, is a joint project of the Alabama Wildlife Federation and benefactors Isabel and Wiley Hill. The property contains 420 acres of striking forests, fields, streams, wetlands and ponds that are traversed by five miles of trails and boardwalks.
The Alabama Wildlife Federation is the state’s oldest and largest citizens’ conservation organization dedicated to the conservation and wise use of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources. To learn more visit www.alabamawildlife.org.
