• We all live in a watershed.
  
• We all have an effect on water quality.
  
• We can all change our behavior to benefit the watershed, rather than harm it.

"Water is arguably the most important environmental issue of the new millennium," says Academy President Seymour S. Preston III. "Living Downstream represents a vital, beginning step in our plan to increasingly emphasize The Academy of Natural Sciences as a center for learning about water-related issues, based on the research and practical application of the work of our own scientists."

A watershed is defined as "an area of land drained by a body of water," or "all of the land that 'sheds' its runoff water into a particular stream, river, ocean, or lake." Watersheds are complex, ever-changing systems. Pennsylvania has about 83,000 miles of streams, the lifeblood of watersheds, of varying water qualities.

For decades, protecting water quality meant looking at each piece of the watershed puzzle (water temperature, chemistry, habitat, health of specific species of plants and animals) independently. This approach began to change when Academy scientists undertook a pioneering study to look at how the pieces relate to one another. A comprehensive "watershed approach" is accepted practise today. Living Downstream, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, introduces the watershed concept and relates it to the everyday lives of boys and girls, men and women.

Greeting visitors at the museum's 19th Street entrance is a Media Sculpture: a dynamic array of video monitors and easy-to-understand scrolling text depicting how our actions affect water quality. Water literally runs through this multi-sensory exhibit, enticing visitors upstairs to discover the source.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is an animated Watershed Mural that goes far beyond the conventional "spray water on the landscape and watch it flow over features on contoured terrain", according to J. Willard Whitson, the Academy's Director of Exhibits. "This interactive mural delivers information in a way that is compelling, educational and fun," Whitson says.

Here's how the watershed mural works. Using a game-like touch screen interface, visitors select from a menu of watershed activities and issues. Each selection sets a sequence of events in motion, showing the interconnectedness of ecological systems, highlighting the fact that land-based activities affect water, and reinforcing the message that All Upstream Actions Have Downstream Effects. The way the scenarios play out is a source of surprise and delight.

Multimedia kiosks flanking the watershed mural invite visitors to take part in a role-playing game called Tough Choices. Visitors learn of a debate over building a skateboard park in a natural setting known for its beauty and the water-quality protecting value of its treamside trees. After hearing several sides of the story from a humorous cast of "everyday people", visitors are asked to cast the tie-breaking vote. There's no right or wrong answer, only trade-offs, and participants get to see the results of their decision.

Another section of the kiosks invite visitors to explore Cool Science, an investigative field trip into the world of aquatic research with scientists from the Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research (Philadelphia, PA) and the Estuarine Research Center (St. Leonards, MD). Video shorts offer a look at Academy scientists in the field as they work on important Research and restoration projects in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, the Schuylkill River, Chesapeake Bay and more.

The Academy is a recognized leader in the field of water quality research and restoration and is active in many projects funded by local, state, and federal governments as well as environmental organizations, foundations, and corporations.

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