On Sunday July 15, CCWA joined 17 other organizations at Chautauqua Institution to participate in a Water Expo as a kickoff to the Institution’s “Water Matters” week. The expo provided a great opportunity for local groups to interact with Chautauquans and other visitors about a variety of water resource issues and discuss with them what various groups are doing to address those concerns.
In preparation for this event, CCWA updated our display to illustrate the numerous ways we “get the word out” and “get involved”. Ironically, over an inch of rain poured from the sky the morning of the 15th—more than the region had seen for many weeks. Though it fell quickly, that warm rain was welcome relief for our parched corner of the world. It served as an insightful “hands-on” demonstration of both impervious and pervious surfaces and how they influence the fate of stormwater. Volunteers staffing the CCWA booth were busy all day! Although some visitors understood that the Chautauqua Lake sub-watershed outlined on the map was a part of the Conewango Creek watershed, many did not. This led naturally to great discussions about the flow of water, sediment, and nutrients through a watershed and into successively larger areas (including the Allegheny and Ohio River Basins). Having pictures of various CCWA projects helped people understand some of relationships between precipitation, stormwater runoff and the influence of natural and human-caused changes in watersheds. There was also a lot of talk about the ways people can help to make a positive difference.
By all accounts, Chautauqua Institution had a very successful week. Partnering with scientists and photographers from the National Geographic Society, they highlighted water resource issues around the globe…and around the corner. CCWA played a small but important role in kicking off this important week. Consider volunteering with us for a similar event in the upcoming months!