It's Water-Wise Wednesdays with Frannie the Fish! {Groundwater Week 2019 - Groundwater Foundation Scavenger Hunt!}

Frannie had an amazing time at Groundwater Week in Las Vegas, NV. She said hello to many of her old Groundwater Guardian friends at the Groundwater Foundation Symposium on Tuesday, but Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to making new friends while doing the Groundwater Foundation Scavenger Hunt!

The Scavenger Hunt consisted of 17 companies or organizations who supported the Groundwater Foundation by donating money to help Frannie and Foundation staff do education and outreach activities.

Frannie first swam down aisle 1 to meet GICON and NAPCO Pipe & Fittings.

Then she dashed around to say hello to Cotey Chemical Corp, GEFCO, and Wyo-Ben. Wyo-Ben also donated an item to the Groundwater Foundation's silent auction fundraiser!

Next door on aisle 4, Frannie met representatives from International Pipe and National Driller.

Frannie made 3 friends on aisle 5, including A.O. Smith Water Systems, Boshart Industries, and Flomatic Valves!

She ran into some old friends at the Water Systems Council booth, who have happily supported the Foundation's education efforts for a long time.

Frannie is sorry that she missed the folks at Cascadian Water and Sun-Star Electric, Inc, but hopes to see them at Groundwater Week next year!

Frannie skipped a couple aisle to get to aisle 9, where she met friends from Simmons Manufacturing and Mount Sopris.

Frannie was getting kind of tired from swimming all over the exhibit hall, so she was happy to stop by and rest awhile at the CSI Water Treatment Systems booth.

At the far end of the hall, a nice representative from Milspec Industries welcomed Frannie and the Groundwater Foundation booth for a quick photo-op just before dinner.

Great job, Frannie! And a big Thank You to the sponsors of the Groundwater Foundation Scavenger Hunt for supporting the Groundwater Foundation's vision to protect our drinking water resources by connecting and inspiring individuals and communities to take action with the goal of having clean, sustainable groundwater.

It's Water-Wise Wednesdays with Frannie the Fish! {What-A-Cycle!}

See below for a special announcement!

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A week ago, Frannie was in Cincinnati meeting with science educators and curriculum developers for the National Science Teaching Association regional conference. While she was there she met Dennis, a climate scientist from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who was handing out a water cycle modeling activity called "What-A-Cycle"!

Frannie thought the idea was so clever but she knew she wouldn't have the time do it because she had to get ready for Groundwater Week. She reached out to her friends at the Groundwater Foundation, knowing we'd be excited to share this craft with you today.

WHAT-A-CYCLE Water Cycle Paper Craft
You'll need:

• Scissors
• Glue or Tape
• What-a-cycle paper craft worksheet
• Colored Pencils/crayons/markers (optional)

STEPS:

1. If you printed out a Black and White copy or an unlabeled copy of the What-a-cycle paper craft worksheet, you should first color it and label all the parts of the water cycle.

2. Cut out the atmospheric portion of the water cycle and then cut out the ground portion of the water cycle. You should now have 2 separate pieces.

3. Fold the lettered tabs and along the marked lines on the ground piece and start to form a 3-D version of the groundwater and runoff portions of the water cycle. Once you start to see how the flat version transforms into 3-D, glue or tape the tabs together to form the model.

4. Fold along the dotted line in the atmospheric portion of the water cycle so that the largest precipitation cloud is at a right angle to the rest of the background.

5. Glue or tape the 3-D groundwater portion of the model to the atmospheric section of the model to complete the activity.

Frannie has been blogging about the water cycle a lot these past couple months.Go back to review her water cycle blogs first, and then trace as many paths a water droplet can take as you can find. What parts of the water cycle deep dives are shown in this model? What parts are missing?

Let her know by email or through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Special Announcement!!

Catch Frannie next week on Facebook in a very special addition of "Water-Wise Wednesdays" as she completes the Groundwater Foundation Scavenger Hunt in the Groundwater Week Exhibit Hall! Frannie is excited to introduce you to several companies who make it possible for her (and her friends at the Groundwater Foundation!) to share the importance of groundwater through education.

BLOG: What a Groundwater Week!

by Jennifer Wemhoff, Groundwater Foundation

Last week, all three Groundwater Foundation staffers traveled to Las Vegas for our first Groundwater Week as part of the National Ground Water Association family. It was an awesome week - meeting NGWA staff members, board members, and members, and introducing them to the work we do at the Groundwater Foundation. Check out our website for some photos and highlights from the week. Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to be there for Groundwater Week 2019 - December 2-5, 2019 in Las Vegas.

Perhaps the most exciting part of Groundwater Week for us was the debut of a video about the work of the Groundwater Foundation. It was a lot of fun to collaborate with the team from NGWA to develop this video and tell the Foundation's story:

We're proud of the work we do at the Groundwater Foundation - and we're proud to have you be a part of it.

Show your support - donate today!

BLOG: Our First Groundwater Week!

For the 22nd time, the National Ground Water Association’s Groundwater Week will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Scheduled for December 3-6, 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Groundwater Week is the groundwater industry’s biggest show, featuring educational opportunities, a packed exhibit hall with the latest from the industry’s manufacturers and suppliers, and opportunities to meet and network with groundwater professionals from around the world.

The Groundwater Foundation merged with NGWA's Foundation over the summer, and we are really looking forward to participating in our first Groundwater Week - which is rapidly approaching.

Some highlights from Groundwater Week 2018 include:

• Early/New Career Meet Up 
• First Timer/New Member Orientation
• Master Groundwater Contractors Luncheon 
• NGWA Welcome Party 
• Keynote Presentation by actor, author, motivational speaker and retired U.S. Army soldier J.R. Martinez 
• Awards of Excellence 
• Exhibit Hall 
• 2018 NGWA Darcy Lecture Farewell Presentation 
• 2018 William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology 
• Coffee with NGWA Directors and CEO 
• New Products Showcase 
• NGWA Bookstore 
• The Great Groundwater Foundation Scavenger Hunt 

Groundwater Week also offers a full slate of educational offerings. Workshops, panels and more will offer professional development opportunities about business management, drilling operations and well construction, safety and compliance, groundwater monitoring, sustainable and available groundwater, water quality, water systems, and well maintenance and rehabilitation. The Groundwater Foundation will be offering a workshop on Tuesday, December 4 about getting involved with its various programs and outreach efforts, including Groundwater Guardian and Groundwater Guardian Green Sites.

A reception with a live and silent auction will be held on Wednesday, December 5 to benefit the Groundwater Foundation’s programs. If you’re interested in donating to the auction or to see current auction items (there's some cool stuff available), go to www.groundwaterweek.com/foundation-auction. If you’d like to donate an auction item, such as autographed memorabilia, gift baskets, professional services, unique experiences, etc., please contact Groundwater Foundation Executive Director Jane Griffin at jgriffin@groundwater.org. To find out more about Groundwater Week, see a full schedule and description of events, or to register, visit www.groundwaterweek.com.

We're excited to be in Vegas this year to meet and network with fellow groundwater protectors. Won't you join us?