Happy World Monitoring Day!
Happy World Water Monitoring Day! World Water Monitoring Day takes place each year on September 18. Every year, the World Water Monitoring Challenge, now known as the EarthEcho Water Challenge, seeks to build public awareness and encourage involvement in protecting water resources. With this challenge, citizens around the world engage in conducting basic monitoring of their local waterbodies.
Here at EcoSpark, we take part in the physical and chemical testing of streams as part of our award-winning Changing Currents program with the help of EarthEcho Water Challenge Kits. With the kits, students are able to test the turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and acidity of streams.
Citizen science activities like the monitoring of watersheds through Changing Currents has provided opportunities for local communities to get involved in learning about their natural environment and ways that they can better care for and protect natural resources. Such programs and activities have served as great ways of raising awareness and building up people of all ages to grow in their concern for the environment.
The involvement of citizens in data collection has also served as an aid in tracking the overall health of ecosystems. Check out the results from our citizen science water quality monitoring by clicking here! As citizens begin to take up larger roles in monitoring, community stewardship over natural resources can grow as a result. In this sense, citizen science not only reveals its significant and immediate impact, but also its value within the future of environmental conservation.
At EcoSpark, we work with teachers and students, educating and equipping them in their engagement with their local watersheds. Through our citizen science programs, we seek to not only educate students, but also spark a desire within them to make a difference and protect the water resources in their community.
We look forward to kicking off our fall season of Changing Currents on World Water Monitoring Day today and working with all of the wonderful teachers and students across the Greater Toronto Area this school year. Happy monitoring!
Kristen Mei is an Environmental Studies student at the University of Toronto. She is currently interning at EcoSpark as an Environmental Researcher. Kristen is interested in environmental sustainability within the urban setting and is always looking to expand in her knowledge of sustainable practices.
