 Itasca County brought all the 5th graders in the area together for the 8th annual Youth Water Summit today. Reporter Cheryl Moore tells us exactly what went into making this one of their biggest summits yet. We're blessed in Itasca County with a thousand lakes and we still have pretty good water quality here. And what we're trying to do is promote the fact that we need to be pretty careful with what we have here. With 45 different stations about water, science and even art, it's safe to say the Itasca Youth Water Summit made a pretty big splash. This year, about 455th graders from all over Itasca County were able to participate, not to mention multiple pair volunteers and instructors from various areas of work. Most of the people that have retired from the science profession, we use the state employees that are experts in water science. This year we have a turtle exhibit that we've never had before. We have a water simulating machine that we've never had before. The kids went to at least six of the 45 different stations, and nearly all of them were interactive. The play was pretty funny, but I probably liked the mercury and the lead one. My favorite part was probably the second station where we got to taste the spring water that was from that always flowing spring. From invasive species and science demonstrations to fun activities like kayaking and fishing, the kids who attended the water summit today are learning a little bit of everything about water. One of the most important things they're learning today is how to preserve our lakes and make sure that we can serve as much as we can. We feel that if we educate the youngsters, they might help educate the older people that really do have the jurisdiction over what happens on their land. The mission was not lost on the students. The few that took the time to talk to Lake Lanuse say they're leaving the fairgrounds with more knowledge than what they came with. If you don't litter, the lake will appear fire, and birds can get caught up in it. Teachers also told us that the lessons learned at the water summit tend to have a positive ripple effect in the classroom. Being able to go back with the kids at the end of the day, we always get the reaction that it was a great experience because of so many different activities and perspectives on water. Reporting in Grand Rapids, Sheryl Moore, Lake Lanuse. And you can learn about everything that was taught at this year's water summit on itascawaters.org. If you enjoyed this segment of Lake Lanuse, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lake Lan PBS.