WATCH: Williamstown NS Learn How Water Quality Supports Life
5th and 6th class children of Williamstown National School brought the buzz of fun and learning to Templetogher Heritage Area on October 18th 2024.
The pupils of the north east Galway school were there to hear from representatives of Williamstown Heritage and Tidy Towns as well as staff from the Waters of LIFE Project and the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO).
Waters of LIFE Project agricultural scientist John Kelly spoke to children about the Islands Demonstration Sub-Catchment including the Islands and Springfield rivers. The project is working with local communities to protect and restore water quality in north east Galway and west Roscommon.
Williamstown Heritage Society chair Leo Finnegan gave a brief history of the local area, including the role of the Ballygarriff river.
The Ballygarriff is a tributary of the Springfield river was the perfect spot for children to see a demonstration of a kick sample by LAWPRO Community Water Officer David Rafter.
David used a kick net to gather macroinvertebrates that live at at the bottom of a river bed. These types of animals without a back bone included important indicators of water quality, such as may fly. Presence of mayfly is a strong indicator of good water quality. The kick sample also gathered up crayfish. These freshwater crustaceans caused great excitement among the children who got a hands-on experience of how aquatic biology tells a story of water quality.
John Kelly spoke to children about the importance of healthy habitats for supporting life in rivers. He also explained how issues and pressures like land drainage and agriculture can affect stream health.
Williamstown NS principal James Coyne concluded the event by thanking the contributors and talking about the school’s commitment to learning about and protecting the local environment.
Williamstown NS is a Green Flag school and has an active Green Schools committee.
Waters of LIFE are excited to introduce more children to concepts of catchment science and work closely with the school, Williamstown Heritage and Williamstown Tidy Towns over the lifetime of the project.
