Water's Extreme Journey at the Exploreum
Water’s Extreme Journey splashes into the Gulf Coast Exploreum
MOBILE, AL. June 12, 2018 – Are you ready for an exciting and educational adventure? Water’s Extreme Journey will take visitors through an interactive 1,500 square foot maze, transforming them into a drop of water that enters a watershed then takes a voyage through rivers, lakes, wetlands and even their homes. The goal? To understand how everyday decisions impact everything from our drinking water to the health of our major waterways, wildlife, and beyond. Interactive elements within the exhibit – such as the Zip Slide, Water Cycle Puzzle, Recycle vs. Trash, Urban River/Storm Drain, The Dirty Dozen and Wildlife Wheel - all help to drive home the importance of the water cycle in a fun and engaging fashion.
Water’s Extreme Journey opens at the Gulf Coast Exploreum on Wednesday, June 13 and will run through Monday, September 3. This exhibit is made possible through a partnership with Mobile County, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, and MAWSS. The goal of this collaborative effort is to entertain while educating the local community about the importance of our waterways’ health both on a local, day-to-day level and on a much broader, global scale.
The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, with a mission to promote wise stewardship of the water quality characteristics and living resource base of the Mobile Bay estuarine system, is excited to partner with Gulf Coast Exploreum as a sponsor and technical advisor for this unique exhibit to connect and educate the community on our area’s most valuable resource - Water!
"Water’s Extreme Journey is a truly fascinating educational approach to teaching about a water droplet’s journey through neighborhoods and watersheds as it eventually reaches the ocean. My office is proud to sponsor this fun and educational exhibit,” says Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson.
MAWSS (Mobile Area Water and Sewer System) also understands the importance of protecting local waterways. Big Creek Lake is a 3,600 acre man made reservoir that holds 17 billion gallons of water and is continually fed by streams, creeks and groundwater in western Mobile County. The Lake and surrounding watershed are home to a variety of fish and wildlife including threatened species such as the gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake and red-cockaded woodpecker. To protect this valuable resource from encroaching development, MAWSS owns and manages 9,000 acres of land surrounding the Lake to act as a buffer.
Water’s Extreme Journey, developed with world-renowned marine-life artist Wyland, was created by Minotaur Mazes, a Seattle-based, worldwide traveling exhibitions company specializing in complete, interactive exhibition experiences within a maze setting. “Mazes engage both mentally and physically, and the tactile experience helps visitors retain ideas long after they have left the exhibit,” says Dr. Kortenaar of SEE Science Center.
As an extension of the exhibit, the Gulf Coast Exploreum has partnered with several local organizations who work in various facets of clean water stewardship including Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile Baykeeper, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and Dog River Clearwater Revival, as well as others to be announced. The partners will participate in an Exploreum-hosted Water Education Festival on Saturday, August 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Additional details on this event will be released later this summer.
Admission for Water’s Extreme Journey is included in general admission pricing ($6-17) and is free to Exploreum members. The J.L. Bedsole IMAX Dome Theater is currently featuring MacGillvray Freeman’s National Parks Adventure as well as a Summer Film Festival (Sponsored by Mobile County) featuring a different IMAX film each week all summer long! IMAX is an additional fee.
