Living Sustainably: Celebrate Your Watershed at this year’s Water Festival

By Ashley Van Zee, Outdoor Discovery Center
It’s time to celebrate your watershed!
Yes, we all live in a watershed. If you live in the Holland and Zeeland area, you live in the Macatawa watershed. A watershed is an area of land that drains into a certain stream, river, or lake. It’s like a bathtub – all the water flows towards lowest spot.
On Saturday, July 14, the Macatawa Water Festival, presented by Meijer, will be back for its fourth year on Holland’s Windmill Island. This free family-friendly event is designed to help people of all ages learn about – and learn how to protect – two of our precious community resources: Lake Macatawa and the Macatawa watershed.
The festival will feature hands-on activities and educational exhibits from more than two dozen local partners for people of all ages.
Every young explorer will receive a Watershed Passport. They will receive passport stamps as they learn from various vendors and participate in activities. Once their passport is complete, they can turn it in for a prize.
Here are five more reasons to attend the 2018 Macatawa Water Festival:
1. More than 25 hands-on activities for attendees of all ages.
2. Ride in a voyageur canoe, bike or paddle a kayak around Windmill Island.
3. Fish for trout, have it filleted and take it home for dinner.
4. Build a rain barrel or wood duck nest box for a small fee (register online at outdoordiscovery.org)
5. Great fun and a free way for the whole family to unplug and get outdoors.

Outdoor Discovery Center

 Ashley Van Zee is the community outreach coordinator at the Outdoor Discovery Center and helps manage volunteers at the Water Festival. The Outdoor Discovery Center is a nonprofit organization focused on conservation and education with the mission of connecting people, land and nature.

What: Macatawa Water Festival
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, July 14
Where: Windmill Island, Holland
Who: Free admission for all ages

This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme
Community Knowledge: The collective knowledge and energy of the community is an incredible resource that must be channeled to where it is needed.

ABOUT THIS SERIES
Living Sustainably is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. It is presented by the Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, a joint project of Hope College, the City of Holland and Holland Board of Public Works. Go to www.hope.edu/sustainability-institute for more information.