The Watershed Institute celebrated World Water Day with a free, family-friendly event on Saturday that blended hands-on science with a lots of fun—all in the name of freshwater protection.
The event drew hundreds of people, including families, educators and environmental advocates, to the Watershed Center for an afternoon of interactive learning and community connection. This year’s global theme—glacier preservation—added a timely lens to the local celebration.
Visitors explored exhibits from innovators like Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, PolyGone Systems and Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute, with topics ranging from microplastic solutions to renewable energy and groundwater modeling.
Kids got hands-on with games, crafts and educational demos, and a blind taste test of local water sources sparked a lot of debate and discussion. Watershed educators led guided walks to nearby vernal pools, where early signs of amphibian life gave attendees a peek at the season’s natural wonders. And there were plenty of tips on how to live more sustainably and protect water resources at home through the River-Friendly program.
Along the way, attendees learned some cool facts about glaciers: these massive rivers of ice hold nearly 70% of the world’s freshwater and help stabilize both local and global climates. But as they melt due to climate change, the ripple effects are huge—sea level rise, stronger floods, shrinking freshwater supplies, and shifting weather patterns.
Glaciers even affect how clouds form and rain falls. As ice retreats, exposed darker surfaces absorb more heat, speeding up local evaporation and throwing off the balance of the water cycle.
The event was part of the United Nations’ annual World Water Day initiative, designed to spotlight the importance of clean, accessible water—and the urgency of protecting it.
photos by Seth Siditsky
