Linn County Students Explore Water Quality!

January is the time for resolutions, goal setting and fresh starts therefore I thought it would be a great time to focus on water quality. All month long, students are exploring ways in which we can save, clean and restore fresh bodies of water. Water is essential to life. Without water; plants, animals and humans would cease to exist. We would not be able to wash clothes, boil pasta, or go swimming. Water is important to living things but it is also necessary to live out our daily lives.

Students of all ages are participating in water quality lessons. Kindergarten students are discovering ways in which we use water both on and off the farm. They are beginning to understand how important water is to us and how we might be able to keep from wasting.

First grade students are learning about the weather wheel to grasp how rain, wind, storms, etc. play a role in how farmers grow and raise our food.

Third and fourth grade students are reading Iowa Ag Today magazines to learn about different practices farmers use to help keep water clean.

High school students are diving into water quality with an IALF lesson called Watershed Decisions. Students begin by examining simulated water samples taken from the Cedar River Watershed. A watershed is an area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, wetland or even the ocean. By looking at the samples and reading possible improvement methods, students could choose four methods they would implement to improve water quality in the Cedar River Watershed District.

January is a great time to stop and reflect... how are we doing? Are we reaching our goals? And are we dedicated to improving water quality? Water is important to everyone- something we all have in common. Let's work together to improve it!

Contact Morgan Hibbs at mhibbs@ifbf.org to schedule a visit today.