Fourth-graders at Phenix Elementary School have been learning about water, watersheds and ways to protect our waterways. In the library, Allyson Watkins, the librarian, had the children use encyclopedias and trade books to do some research on that topic.

After the research was completed, Julie Hamlett, Patricia Mays and Sara Pittard from the Southside Soil and Water Conservation District came to the library to further extend the learning process. They brought models of a community, talked about watersheds and where Charlotte County’s water goes – which is the Albemarle Sound not the Chesapeake Bay.

Hamlett showed the students how people in the community could adversely affect the water. For example, they can use too many pesticides or too much fertilizer. She also discussed point and non-point sources of pollution. Mays showed the students how people in the community could make a positive impact on the waterways by building fences and using the proper amounts of products they use on their land. She also explained the term “rip rap” to them. The students learned a great deal from these three presenters.