ArchivesACT has unveiled its November Find of the Month which includes examples of local community and education programs that have played a role in water conservation awareness.
The Archives said its Find of this Month focused on files from 1993 showing the development of a ‘Water Discovery Kit’ that supported schoolteachers in their efforts to extract some enthusiasm from students and eventually lead to present-day programs such as ACT Waterwatch.
“The ‘Water Discovery Kit’ included worksheets and exercises to allow budding limnologists to work in the field,” ArchivesACT said.
“Charts to assist with the identification of bugs and slugs, equipment for recording pH and water temperature measurements, and instruction on how to measure and record rainfall were all included,” it said.
“As well as step by step instructions on how to make a ponding net from a wire coat hanger and stockings.”
ArchivesACT said exercises in the Kit asked students to make some assessment of the condition of the waterways they studied and how they were affected by the wider catchment area.
“They learned that some water creatures were more resistant to pollutants than others and that the number and variety of water bugs can indicate the level of water pollution.”
It said the information and exercises described in the files could be just as easily used today as they were in 1993.
“There is always a curious new world of water striders, screech beetles, segmented worms and caddisflies waiting to be discovered by our modern day young investigators,” ArchivesACT said.
The Archives Find of the Month can be found at this PS News link.
