The spot where four rivers converge in Will County seemed to Tina Riley like the perfect place to learn about water and its impacts on residents’ daily lives.
“Water touches every single part of our lives, and we just don’t think about it on a daily basis,” said Riley, facility supervisor of the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Four Rivers Environmental Learning Center in Channahon.
Riley said she hopes people will certainly give it some thought when they view “Water/Ways,” a free, all-ages, traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute, that will be at the Four Rivers center Saturday through March 11.
Through a very competitive application process with Illinois Humanities, Riley sought to make Four Rivers one of six stops on the state-wide tour of the Smithsonian’s Museums on Main Street traveling programs.
It is the last stop on the tour that also went to Carbondale, Franklin Grove, Mahomet, Lawrenceville and Valmeyer.
Forest preserve officials will cut the ribbon on this show 10 a.m. Saturday at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, 25055 W. Walnut Lane, in McKinley Woods, Channahon.
Water/Ways is “perfect” for Four Rivers, Riley said.
The center opened in 2009, and because of its location — where the Des Plaines, DuPage and Kankakee Rivers meet to form the Illinois River — water has always been its main focus of educational programs. It’s the forest preserve district’s “most water-centric site,” she said.
Through photos, interactive components and stories, Water/Ways dives into the significance of water from historical, environmental, economic, political, cultural and artistic perspectives. It depicts water as a source of peace, power, recreation and inspiration.
A YouTube video created by the Forest Preserve District is at https://youtu.be/SglUoWn8tqM.
The exhibit consists of five free standing displays, as well as two digital content stations featuring information on “The Power of Water” and “Our Relationship with Water.” Visitors also can interact with the WaterSim America activity on an iPad.
“Hosting ‘Water/Ways’ is a true honor,” said Ralph Schultz, the forest preserve’s chief operating officer in a news release. “We hope the exhibit will foster meaningful discussion about water resources and ways we can better preserve them. Protecting water sources is a big component of our mission, and that’s why most of our preserves are made up of land along the creeks, lakes, rivers and wetlands that are critical links in the region’s watershed.”
The forest preserve district also will host several programs in conjunction with the Water/Ways exhibit.
A photo contest, entitled “Wonders of Water,” focusing on the beauty and importance of Will County’s waterways, will run from Jan. 28 through March 11, the same six-week period that “Water/Ways” exhibit will be at Four Rivers.
Photos of waterways must be taken at a Will County forest preserve by amateur photographers who are 18 years old or older. A complete set of contest rules and photo submission instructions is available at ReconnectWithNature.org.
Judges will review all submissions and select photos for online judging by the public on the district’s Facebook page. The top three winners will get their pick of a Forest Preserve dog park permit, a picnic permit or a boat rental at Monee Reservoir.
Four Rivers also will host a variety of programs with a water theme throughout February and March, including night hikes, ice harvesting, scavenger hunt, snowshoeing, trivia night, game show challenge, boat safety and a film fest.
More information is at https://www.facebook.com/Four.Rivers.EE.Center/events/.
“This is no small thing,” said Riley, who attended required training with her staff, and received a $2,000 grant from Illinois Humanities to defray their costs.
Visits to “Water/Ways” and the companion exhibits are self-guided, but district staff and volunteers will be available. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m., Sunday. On Feb. 16, the exhibit will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
To whet readers appetite, here are some fun facts from the Smithsonian Institute about water:
*Water not only covers about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, it’s in the clouds above and hidden below the soil.
*From oceans, rivers, and lakes to the rain, snow, and hail that fall each day, Earth holds about 327 quintillion gallons of water.
*Everyone lives within a watershed — the surrounding area of land in which water collects and, ultimately, drains into a water source.
*Humans not only drink water — they put it to work. People are searching for ways to control water and the energy it possesses. In 2010, Americans withdrew 355 billion gallons of water for use each day.
