Local Students Dive into Water Science at Ichetucknee Springs

The article titled 'Our future, our water' discusses an educational program at Fort White High School involving over 100 students. The program, organized by Our Santa Fe River, Inc., focused on water ecosystems and included a session at Ichetucknee Head Springs where students wore spring-themed shirts from a previous workshop.

The program provided a thorough examination of water systems, emphasizing hands-on activities like measuring dissolved oxygen levels in water samples. These activities aimed to enhance students' understanding of environmental science and the importance of water in ecosystems. It also included a study of how surface water runs off from Lake City to Ichetucknee Headspring and its effects.

A creative element of the program was a tie-dye activity that helped illustrate the connections between aquifers, rivers, and springs, and the impact of external factors like nutrient runoff. This was intended to help students better understand the relationships within water systems.

Additionally, Ms. Spencer and Ms. Earls from the Parknership led a lab at Ichetucknee State Park, where they analyzed the chemical and bacterial properties of different water sources. This was part of a collaboration with the WWALS Adopt-a-Stream program, which provided data on water quality.

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