Students at Dunellon Middle School believe “there ought to be a law” to better protect Florida’s springs and their surrounding watersheds.
The seventh and eighth-grade students will present their case Thursday morning to Representative Larry Cretul, who represents parts of Marion, Levy and Alachua counties. The presentation will take place at 10 a.m. in the school’s auditorium. Cretul invited students to come up with a proposal they believe should be a law. Six other schools within Cretul’s district are also competing to win. The winning proposal will be reviewed by Cretul’s staff and may be presented to the legislation.
The exercise is part of the students’ Promoting Awesome Watershed Stewardship (PAWS) classroom studies and extra curricular work.
The PAWS students, who are part of the Legacy Program, used research from the Southwest Florida Water Management District to support their argument.
The Legacy Program is a cooperatively funded project with the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River Water Management Districts that promotes hands-on environmental education.
This year, as part of the Legacy Program, the class has also continued monitoring water quality along the Rainbow River and Withlacoochee River, as well as completing service projects at Rainbow Springs State Park and on District’s Halpata Tastanaki Preserve.