November 02, 2011
Media Advisory -- Dive In!
Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature is hosting Dive In!, an interactive experience for fourth- and fifth-graders, on Friday, Nov. 4. The water stewardship day event will give the children hands-on learning experiences with the wonders of water.
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to attend from 9 to 11 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m. at the center, about eight miles south of Carbondale on Giant City Road. The invitation-only field day, possible through sponsorship from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s water division, will bring about 400 children from Giant City and Thomas Schools to the outdoor setting.
Children will participate in numerous different half-hour learning station activities in Camp II as they learn about the attributes of a healthy water system and the importance of conserving water and protecting the state’s water system.
Participating organizations sharing their expertise include the Illinois EPA, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Shawnee National Forest, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Federation, Army Corps of Engineers, Beautify Southern Illinois, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, Sierra Club, Little River Research and Design and Green Earth. Groups and units from SIU Carbondale involved in the event include the Fisheries and Aquaculture Center, the Student Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, the zoology department, the College of Agricultural Science’s American Resources Association, the Restoration Club and Touch of Nature Environmental Center.
Dive In! will take place rain or shine. For more information, contact Kate Hellgren at 618/453-1122, ext. 250 or by email at kateh4@siu.edu.