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Water Exhibit Entertains, Educates
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| PLAYING IN THE RAIN. A group of school children try out the new Watersheds exhibit last Wednesday at the Aquarium of the Pacific. — Gazette photo by Kurt Helin |
By Kurt Helin
Editor
It is challenging enough to get adults to understand why there is a need to conserve water in Southern California, but getting children to understand what is happening is an even bigger challenge.
That’s where the Aquarium of the Pacific’s new “Our Watersheds” exhibit comes in. First opened to the public last week, it is a recreation of the San Pedro watershed (which includes Long Beach). Push a button and youngsters can make it rain in Southern California, then follow what happens to the water as it flows from the mountains to the sea.
While they may be learning something, the children to first use it were simply having fun playing in the water.
“If you just say ‘come get educated’ it’s not a draw,” said Russ Hill, a member of the aquarium’s board of directors since its inception. “But if you come to have fun and learn something while you’re doing it, that captures children. The whole goal is to raise educated consumers and voters who make informed decisions about their future.”
The goal of this new exhibit is education, and not just for the children, said Jerry Schubel, aquarium CEO.
“A lot of us in California have been misinformed about our water — past, present and future,” Schubel said. “We need to tell this story and do education for youth and adults.”
The aquarium is putting its money where its mouth is, making the new classroom building “carbon neutral.” There are solar panels to power the classroom and exhibits, it was built to meet “green building” standards using recycled materials, and the landscaping around the new room is all low-water local vegetation.
While the exhibit is now open to the public, when youth groups arrive they will study in the green classroom — learning about what a watershed is and why conservation matters — before getting to splash around on the water map.
Those children also will get the chance to see a King snake and an American Kestrel bird, both of which need more natural watershed habitat to survive in Southern California.
This is the first major exhibit area and building to open at the Aquarium since Shark Lagoon.
Money to build the classroom and exhibit came from the California Coastal Conservancy, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers & Mountains Conservancy, the American Chemistry Council Plastics Division, the Long Beach Water Department, Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe and the Metropolitan Water District, among others.
To learn more about the exhibit and classroom, log on to www.aquariumofpacific.org.
That’s where the Aquarium of the Pacific’s new “Our Watersheds” exhibit comes in. First opened to the public last week, it is a recreation of the San Pedro watershed (which includes Long Beach). Push a button and youngsters can make it rain in Southern California, then follow what happens to the water as it flows from the mountains to the sea.
While they may be learning something, the children to first use it were simply having fun playing in the water.
“If you just say ‘come get educated’ it’s not a draw,” said Russ Hill, a member of the aquarium’s board of directors since its inception. “But if you come to have fun and learn something while you’re doing it, that captures children. The whole goal is to raise educated consumers and voters who make informed decisions about their future.”
The goal of this new exhibit is education, and not just for the children, said Jerry Schubel, aquarium CEO.
“A lot of us in California have been misinformed about our water — past, present and future,” Schubel said. “We need to tell this story and do education for youth and adults.”
The aquarium is putting its money where its mouth is, making the new classroom building “carbon neutral.” There are solar panels to power the classroom and exhibits, it was built to meet “green building” standards using recycled materials, and the landscaping around the new room is all low-water local vegetation.
While the exhibit is now open to the public, when youth groups arrive they will study in the green classroom — learning about what a watershed is and why conservation matters — before getting to splash around on the water map.
Those children also will get the chance to see a King snake and an American Kestrel bird, both of which need more natural watershed habitat to survive in Southern California.
This is the first major exhibit area and building to open at the Aquarium since Shark Lagoon.
Money to build the classroom and exhibit came from the California Coastal Conservancy, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers & Mountains Conservancy, the American Chemistry Council Plastics Division, the Long Beach Water Department, Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe and the Metropolitan Water District, among others.
To learn more about the exhibit and classroom, log on to www.aquariumofpacific.org.
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