Background Information
Water is one of the most important resources on earth.  Water seems magical because it changes form and is found in three states of existence.  In its liquid state as we most commonly know it, it is called water.  In its solid state, water is known as ice.  In its gaseous state, water is called steam or vapor.

 At normal pressure, water maintains its liquid state between 32^oF and 212^oF (0 - 100^oC).  Below 32^o (0^oC), water freezes into ice.  Above 212^o (100^oC), water evaporates into steam.  Water is stored in all three forms on earth -- as ice in glaciers found on high mountain tops and at the North and South polar caps; in its liquid state in our oceans, rivers, lakes and streams; and its gaseous state as vapor in the air we breathe.  You can feel water vapor in the air on a hot and humid day.  You can see water vapor condense against a cold glass of milk.

 Water is recycled again and again in the hydrologic cycle.  Water accumulates, or gathers, in lakes and oceans.  When water reaches its vapor point, it evaporates into the air.  As water vapor rises into the upper atmosphere, its temperature is lowered by the cooler air.  When it is cooled enough, the water vapor forms into tiny water droplets.  This process is called condensation.  As many droplets collect, they form clouds.  The tiny droplets in clouds merge into larger droplets which return to Earth as precipitation - rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
 

The environmentally aware students in Mr. D. Hohimer's class at Cajon Valley Middle School in California decided to take action and continue to take action!  The students took steps to adopt and refurbish the watershed of a nearby creek threatened by road construction.  With the aid of volunteers from AmeriCorps and the mayor, students worked hard to replant native species of plants and trees along the creek to replace the habitat and maintain the creek's structure.  The school adopted a plot of land next to the creek and the project continues after 6 years, expanding to include a composting operation, and the cultivation of native species of plants and trees in the school garden.  The school won a National Gardening Grant and is applying for certification as a Schoolyard Habitat with the NWF.  Each year a new class of students has the opportunity to participate in this watershed restoration project and to make a difference.