AMES, Iowa – Water Rocks!, a statewide water education program based at Iowa State University, recently updated its website at www.waterrocks.org. The site contains resources regarding environmental programs, farm and agriculture outreach, conservation efforts across Iowa and interactive learning activities.
The update includes more intuitive navigation and the addition of an interactive county map, calendar of appearances and events, and optimization to ensure compatibility with mobile devices, tablets and popular web browsers.
“After six years, and considering feedback from users ranging from elementary school students to retirees, we decided it was time to take advantage of the latest in web technology to redo the website from the ground up,” said Ann Staudt, Water Rocks! director.
Staudt said the new navigation buttons on the homepage make it simpler for different constituent groups to find what they want, while continuing to provide the resources, videos, games and music Water Rocks! is known for.
Visitors to www.waterrocks.org will find award-winning videos, music, games and activities geared for all ages. In addition, part of the site is dedicated to the fleet of Conservation Station trailers used by Water Rocks! for outreach and education.
The new site also sports an interactive county map feature, which enables visitors to click on any county in the state of Iowa to see what Water Rocks! and Conservation Station activities have taken place over the past several years.
The website provides a single calendar for all Water Rocks! and Conservation Station appearances at schools, fairs and special events throughout the year. Teachers and administrators are encouraged to review the calendar to see where Water Rocks! will be, and to use the simple online visit request to plan for a visit to their campus.
“The Water Rocks! team is excited about this new portal, which makes it easy for visitors to learn about conservation, environmental issues, water quality and choices that make a difference for all Iowans,” said Staudt.
About Water Rocks!
Through a combination of STEM and the arts, Water Rocks! educates, challenges and inspires young people toward a greater appreciation of our state’s water, soil and other natural resources. Partners of Water Rocks! include: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (United States Environmental Protection Agency, Section 319 of the Clean Water Act), Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and personal gifts of support.
— Ann Staudt, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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