2015 spring & fall, 2016 spring at McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation District Annex building and grounds Dean St. 

 At the headwaters of the Kishwaukee River, 6th grade students from all over the county get a hands on watershed and groundwater education.  Learning from professionals in the field students travel to different stations and learn just how important water quality, quantity, and conservation efforts are in McHenry County.  Students learn about site management and best management practices to mitigate pollution and stormwater run off, they simulate a groundwater pollution test, and classify the creek by investigating what macro organisms are found in the water.

2012 fall, 2013 spring & fall, 2014 fall at LUREC - Loyola Retreat and Ecology Campus 

120 students from various McHenry County schools enjoyed a beautiful fall day at the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus learning about Groundwater. The students participated at several stations around the fen on the property and in the classrooms in the building. They tested water samples, looked at macro invertebrates, discovered more about glaciers and the influence of this movement on groundwater. They took a look at an EnviroScape model and saw how pollutants can enter into groundwater. They also "made" their own water drill/pump models simulating how water is pumped from aquifers. Finally they tested their knowledge during a quick paced game of "Dripial Pursuit". 
 
 

Sarah Berg from McHenry County Health Department sharing the groundwater model. 
 

Dave Brandt with McHenry -Lake County Solid and Water Conservation District "talking Glaciers" and filtration. 
 

Ed Weskerna with McHenry - Lake County Solid and Water Conservation District shares the ideas of how pollution enters groundwater. 
 

Students take a look at Macro invertebrates and take samples of water for testing with Bill Donato Woodstock High School and his volunteer Envirothon Students. 
 
 


Cory Horton with McHenry County Department of Planning and Development Water Resource Division shares ways in which water is all around us in the water cycle. 
 
 
Katie Parkhurst with the Village of Algonquin helps explain in a hands - on drilling experiment how water is pumped from the ground up. 
 

Spring Duffey with McHenry - Lake County Solid and Water Conservation District helps students look closer at how water travels with the EnviroScape model. 
 

Nancy Shietzelt challenges and tests the students' knowledge during a game of Dripial Pursuit!