The Peru Gazette

“We’re excited to co-host this in-person World Water Day Celebration with a group of enthusiastic partners,” said Sue Hagar, Education and Outreach Steward for the Lake Champlain Basin Program. “The groups are hard at work daily 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.”

The United Nations initiated World Water Day 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 students complete. 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 stream banks 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 lawn care 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.

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, 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 Aquatic Invasive Species Team

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