Welcome to the Pathway to Water Quality

Youth / Education

Wetlands Hopscotch Activity is designed to increase the awareness for the need to protect our wetlands as a habitat for migrating waterfowl (birds). This activity is designed to increase the awareness for the need to protect our wetlands as a habitat for migrating waterfowl. And the importance wetlands play in cleaning our water.
Objectives: As a result of this activity, the participant will:

1. Become a bird migrating from Indiana to Florida. They should understand the
   hardship for the birds when there are less wetlands. Each hopscotch area
   represents one trip to or from Florida for the bird.
2. The activity demonstrates the dependence of wetlands for migrating birds.
3. Human actions can impact the wetlands.

Click here for the Wetlands Activity Sheet >>

Click here for Wetlands Resources >>

Click here for Wetlands Definitions >>

Build a Leopold Bench . . . to spy an Aldo Leopold bench (like the one you'll see at the Pathway to Water Quality exhibit) in someone's yard is to know something about the family who resides there. Even if you haven’t read Leopold’s opening lines, “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot,” from A Sand County Almanac, you will appreciate this easy-to- build bench. If left untreated, this stable bench develops a characteristic gray patina, however, putting some preservative where bench-meets-ground will prolong its life.

Materials: One 2 x 6 x 33", one 2 x 10 x 30", one 2 x 8 x 10', six 3/8"x 31/2" carriage bolts with washer and nut, twelve 3/8"x31/2" #12 or #14 flathead wood screws. Use Douglas Fir for your Leopold bench, if you can, and customize its size to suit you.The materials listed will make a 33" bench, but you may choose to build out to 48". Click here for details >>

Walk the Path that Water Walks . . .
Where does all the water go after it rains? How does what people do on their land at home, on the farm and in the cities affect water and soil quality? Pathway to Water Quality can show you. PWQ is a model watershed that shows you how land "sheds" excess water and what than means to you.