Part 2 of a two-part Series

Our Water—Our Responsibility!

Last month, we learned what makes up a watershed and how important watersheds are to our survival and the survival of ecosystems. We learned that we can move water from one area to another and build dams to create lakes in which water may be stored for times when we do not get enough rain. We learned that by managing our watershed and transporting water, we can expand the areas in which we may grow crops, produce electricity for homes and industry, and provide employment for many people.

We also learned that when we move water to one place, we take it away from another place. This means that both the source and the target ecosystems may be changed or damaged beyond repair. Officials and scientists who make these decisions must take into consideration the long-term effects of their actions. Sometimes there is not enough scientific evidence to support a good decision. This is why the scientists at Biosphere 2 are studying water and how it works on our planet.

This is also why our world needs students to study science and become excellent scientists! With new knowledge, they will be able to help governments make accurate decisions about many things on our planet, including our watersheds and other natural resources.

So what can YOU do now to keep our watershed clean?

It is important to always remember that ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING you put on the ground ends up in our water supply!

Here is a list of things you can do to prevent pollutants from getting into our water supply.

How many of these things do you or your parents do already?

What else can you do to keep our watershed clean?

• Plant drought-resistant shrubs and take care of existing ones to prevent erosion.
• Always sweep patios, don’t spray them with a hose.
• Clean up after your pets and wash animals in bathtubs, not outside.
• Encourage your parents to avoid washing their family car in the driveway. Try to get them to take the car to a car wash, where the water is often recycled.
• Never pour extra cleaning supplies down the drain. If you can, take them to a hazardous waste disposal center.
• Avoid using the garbage disposal. You could make a compost heap if you wanted to recycle your fruit and vegetable peels.
• Never flush leftover medicines down the toilet. Ask your pharmacist about the proper method of disposal.
• Try to use eco-friendly shampoos, soaps and cleaning supplies whenever possible.
• Try to limit the amount of garbage you produce. Re-use and recycle whenever possible.
• If your parents do their own car repairs, encourage them to take their leftover motor oil to a mechanic for proper disposal.

Can you think of things in your house that might pollute our watershed?

Look at the diagram of the house above and identify anything that you think might pollute our watershed.

Can you find the things in this house that could pollute our watershed?

For more information about Biosphere 2 or to schedule a field trip, please call 520-838-6200 or visit www.b2science.org. All students who participate in a classroom field trip to Biosphere 2 receive a complimentary annual student membership.

For more information about Biosphere 2 or to schedule a field trip, please call 520-838-6200 or visit www.b2science.org. All students who participate in a classroom field trip to Biosphere 2 receive a complimentary annual student membership.

Educators may contact Matt Adamson at 520-838-6137 for additional information on how to prepare this experiment.

For more info, or to schedule a field trip, call 520-838-6200
or visit www.b2science.org

Is Shaq Sinking Suns?

There's a new big man in town; the Phoenix Suns are betting he's the spark they need to win the playoffs.

One of the biggest stars in the NBA universe, Shaquille O'Neal, is now wearing purple and orange. And both Shaq and the Suns have a lot to prove. Shaq, who just turned 36 and has endured knee and hip injuries, wants to show he's still a big force in the NBA. His critics say that the Diesel is too old and too slow for a high-octane, blazingly fast team like the Suns.

During the regular season, the Suns are one of the toughest teams in the West. And while fans love the Suns' exciting and high-scoring brand of basketball, led by two-time League MVP point guard Steve Nash, the team has never won the NBA Finals.

The Suns believe that Shaq is the piece that's been missing. At 7 feet 1 inch tall and 325 pounds, Shaq gives the Suns a true center who grabs rebounds, plays tough defense and passes the ball well. Up till now, Amare Stoudamire has been stuck playing center for the Suns, even though he's really one of the best power forwards in the game. With Shaq in at center, Stoudamire is freed up to do what he does best!

"Psychologically it really helps us out. Guys are much more willing to go to the boards and fight around the basket with Shaq in there," explains Head Coach Mike D'Antoni.

Fans love Shaq's superstar qualities. The big guy has won four NBA Finals and was MVP for three of them! But the Suns have lost their winning ways since Shaq started playing on Feb. 20. In the trade for Shaq, the Suns gave up All-Star forward Shawn Marion, who said he wanted to be traded at the beginning of the season. For years, Marion had been a clutch scorer. As of press time, the Suns have won just two of their last six games and have fallen to fifth place in the Western Conference. Fans wonder whether it's growing pains with the big guy or could it be a bad fit?

'Doomsday Vault' Opens for Business!

SVALBARD ARCHIPELAGO, Norway-Imagine a bank that's so far north that polar bears outnumber the people living there! The bank is located on Norway's Svalbard archipelago just 620 miles from the North Pole. As you may have guessed, it's cold there. During winter's around-the-clock darkness, temperatures can fall to -22° Fahrenheit.

The bank was blasted into the side of an arctic mountain and has reinforced concrete walls to help protect its valuable deposits from natural disasters, global warming and even a nuclear explosion. Welcome to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault-also called the "Doomsday Vault" by the press!

You can find seedbanks all over the world. Native Seeds/SEARCH is a seedbank here in Arizona. Its mission is to protect the diversity of local seed used in farming and their wild relatives. "We have nearly 2,000 varieties in our seedbank, mainly corn, beans and squash," explains Carolyn Owens, who works on grants for the seedbank. "Just like the seedbank in Norway, the seeds need to be kept cold, so they're stored in a freezer," she says. Seeds for the bank come from southwestern states and northern Mexico.

Seedbanks help protect our food supply from the "what ifs" in life-like what if there's drought; what if a disease attacks a certain kind of wheat, or what if global warming changes what can grow around here?

Modern farming has led to fewer and fewer varieties of crops. This has brought about many varieties of food crops being lost forever, and Owens says it's alarming. "It's just more cost effective to grow a single variety...but you don't know what disease is going to come along down the road," she says. A disease could wipe out an entire variety of a crop, leading to food shortages. But if there are enough other seed varieties, like wheat for instance, one of those types of wheat may turn out to be resistant to the disease.

Owens points out that a lot of seedbanks are in politically unstable areas like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, and have been looted or destroyed. In the Phillipines, a flood wiped out the country's seedbank.

That's why the Svalbard Global Seedbank was created-to protect the diversity of seeds no matter what happens in the world. Countries can "deposit" different varieties of seeds. If a disaster jeopardizes crops, the country can make a "withdrawal" of seeds.

The vault was built by Norway at a cost of about $3 million. Because seeds are so small, the "Doomsday Vault" can hold up to 2 billion seeds!