1200 Fifth-Graders Flood Clinton River Water Festival

Oakland County Fifth-Graders Visit Oakland University for 12th Annual Clinton River Water Festival

In May, 1,200 fifth-grade students from schools in the Clinton River Watershed community in Oakland County, visited Oakland University for the 12th annual Clinton River Water Festival.

The festival helps students learn about the vital role that water and the Clinton River play within the region. Students participated in a series of outdoor and indoor presentations by several governmental and environmental agencies on topics that include storm water, water treatment, soil erosion, wetlands, creeks and streams, habitat, as well as sources of pollution.

Director of Pre-College Programs, Reginald McCloud, leads the event for Oakland.

“We have around 50 different organizations that send their employees here to give presentations, so from a community outreach perspective, the water festival is huge for us.” McCloud said. “Most of the presentations are hands-on, so the students are actively engaged in the learning process.”

McCloud added that close to 12,000 students have participated in the festival since it began in 2007.

“It’s an important supplement to the students’ education because water is central to our lives,” he said. “Not only is the human body made up mostly of water, but all living organisms need water for survival.”

Along with Oakland University, this year’s event was sponsored by Pure Water Oakland, Waste Management, Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, City of Auburn Hills, Clinton River Watershed Council and Cranbrook Institute of Science. For more information, visit Clinton River Water Festival.