Aquifer art featured at the Palouse Discovery Science Center

Water education is vital in today’s world, and the Palouse is no exception.

Meri Joswiak, Palouse Discovery Science Center’s executive director, said conversations about the resource have become more common as questions around sustainability, quality and scarcity continue to emerge.

The international matter affects everyone, she said, including in the region. As an area reliant on a finite groundwater resource, Joswiak said raising awareness is all the more important.

“Water is an integral part of all of our lives,” Joswiak said.

The local science center is working to teach younger generations the significance of water using a creative approach. This week, the center finished placing artwork in the facility that highlights the complexities of the Palouse Basin aquifer.

The exhibit spans across two walls strategically placed near the center’s water bottle-filling station and bathroom. It includes a variety of educational material like maps of regional water systems, stories about the water cycle, farm systems and other informational graphics.

The installation, done in collaboration with the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee, has been in the works for a couple of years, Joswiak said.

She said the organizations began having conversations on how to engage children with the resource, and the committee’s water conservation coordinator and AmeriCorps member Josilyn Watson had just the idea.

Kids who visited the center were given an opportunity to create a watercolor footprint, as well as respond to prompts surrounding water. Joswiak said some prompts were fun, like talking about their favorite water activity, while others were more personal, like sharing what water meant to them and how they impact water systems.

The committee took the footprints to scan and incorporate them into the artwork, Joswiak said. A few originals are also displayed near the installation, she added.

Issues around water can sometimes feel “invisible,” or hard to understand, Joswiak said, and the exhibit brings awareness to the matter in a more comprehensible way.

The educational experience not only highlights the science behind water systems, she said, but also reaches out to younger generations in a way they can connect with.

One of the center’s goals is to inspire its visitors to appreciate and take care of the environment, Joswiak said. Having an understanding of water and conservation early in life can help cement habits to reduce waste, she said.

“We can help create capable stewards of the environment,” Joswiak said. ”Being able to bring awareness to it as something that needs protecting will be really important for the future.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.