World Water Day 30th Anniversary Celebration – Free Public Event
Saturday, March 18, 2023 11 AM – 3 PM
Champlain Centre Mall, Smithfield Boulevard, Plattsburgh, NY
Grand Isle, Vt – The Lake Champlain Basin Program, Champlain Centre Mall, and the Champlain Basin Education Initiative invite the public to participate in a World Water Day Celebration on Saturday, March 18th beginning at 11 AM at the mall on Smithfield Blvd. Plattsburgh, NY. Mall guests may view student works about local water resources and interact with more than 20 organizations which will host exhibits and hands-on activities celebrating water resources.
“We’re excited to co-host this in-person World Water Day Celebration with a whole group of enthusiastic partners,” said Sue Hagar, Education and Outreach Steward for the Lake Champlain Basin Program. “The groups are hard at work every day to improve water resources for both drinking water and recreational uses including boating, swimming and fishing, all while encouraging folks to get involved in personal stewardship actions to improve the watershed.”
World Water Day was initiated by the United Nations in 1993 to draw attention to the issues and threats surrounding the world’s water resources. Ten years ago, the Champlain Basin Education Initiative hosted the first local student World Water Day Celebration to share student work about water resources from more than a dozen classrooms. This year the Champlain Centre Mall offered to help expand the event and bring it to Plattsburgh, inviting more public participation and partners into the celebration.
“Champlain Centre Mall is excited to share our retail space for this water-themed event,” said Emily Moosmann, Marketing Director for the Champlain Centre Mall. “Come meet the water resource specialists, and explore the thoughtful projects completed by students. Join in some fun activities while learning about our amazing watershed.”
A special showing of No Other Lake, a locally produced 39-minute film, will air at Regal Cinemas at 11 AM. This event is FREE for the public and the film producer will be present to introduce the film and answer questions. Mall guests may also view water themed window displays in several mall spaces and stores.
Mall visitors will be able to explore how river systems flow and how streambanks erode during flood events through a hands-on model, dive deeper into aquatic invasive species and learn why the round goby poses a threat to our ecosystem, participate in a youth art project, complete quests on a giant watershed map of the Lake Champlain basin, explore how scientists interpret science through art in the Wool and Water exhibit, learn how to protect drinking water supplies and extend the life of their septic systems through proper maintenance, explore new lawncare practices, learn about cyanobacteria, practice casting for fish, and more.
For further information about the event, contact Sue Hagar, Lake Champlain Basin Program at shagar@lcbp.org or call (802) 372-3213.
Additional Information
No Other Lake will be shown at Regal Cinema, Champlain Centre Mall, at 11 AM on Saturday, March 18th.
Free admission for this show and free popcorn will be available.
From the No Other Lake website https://lakechamplainfilm.com/ from Jordan Rowell, producer and paddler:
Motivated by a desire to better understand his home watershed, Jordan Rowell embarks on a two-week kayaking trip along the 120-mile length of Lake Champlain, stopping along the way to talk to a wide range of characters about the future of their shared basin.
Set 50 years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, NO OTHER LAKE is both a celebration of the unique beauty of Lake Champlain and a confrontation with its greatest challenges. This adventure-conservation documentary strives to inspire people to better connect with the natural world around them, see issues from a different point of view, and get involved with stewardship efforts happening close to home.
Jordan is the producer and the paddler in this movie. He is expected to join us for this fun event to say a few works and to field questions.
Meet these Clean Water Specialists. Try their interactive exhibits 11AM-3 PM on March 18th!
Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith’s College
Ausable River Association
Boquet River Association – BRASS
Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network
Clinton County Health Department
Clinton County Historical Association
Clinton County Soil & Water Conservation District
Cornell Cooperative Extension 4H
Cornell Cooperative Extension Nutrition
CWICNY – Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York
Essex County Soil & Water Conservation District
Friends of the Saranac River Trail
Lake Champlain Basin Program
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Lake Champlain Sea Grant
NY Citizen Advisory Committee
NYS DEC Invasive Species Unit
Point Au Roche Nature Center
SUNY Plattsburgh – Center for Earth and Environmental Science
Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District
William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute