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How many liters of water does it take to produce one value meal at a fast food restaurant? That was one of several questions posed to elementary students at Donald Fraser Memorial School on Monday, April 28 when they received a visit from Sarah MacMillan, education facilitator with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

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Although they guessed and guessed and guessed, it was hard for students to imagine the enormity of the answer: 5,200 liters.

"It's hard to wrap our brains around how much water we use, isn't it," MacMillan said, noting that total includes water used on fields to produce grain and potatoes, water for the cow that becomes hamburger and water used in the processing plants where many of the components of a fast-food meal are made.

MacMillan was at the school to talk to the students about bio-diversity and what CPAWS does to protect provincial ecosystems. Water is a valuable part of those ecosystems and MacMillan noted that while Canada is not without its problems, we generally enjoy a safe, clean water supply.

"In a lot of places in the world, you can't drink the water that comes out of the tap," the facilitator said. "I had a friend that went far south and they told her to put tape over her mouth when she got into the shower because if the water got into her tummy, she could get very sick."

MacMillan explained keeping areas of the province protected from development and industry is one of the ways CPAWS helps preserve a pristine environment.

"We set aside pieces of land to protect them," she noted. "Part of Mount Carleton is a protected area."

More than half the medicines we take come from plants, MacMillan said, and that's another reason to preserve areas rich in natural flora and fauna. The educator explained humans are part of the bio-diversity of the planet and it is up to us to preserve what is around us.

"When we protect bio-diversity, we protect our culture too," she explained.

Nature has its own way of ensuring balance in the environment and MacMillan said people can easily upset that. During a visit to Denver, Colorado, MacMillan said she was fascinated by the predominance of rabbits around her hotel, hopping along the streets and even sitting on parked cars. When she questioned why there were so many rabbits, she was told the construction of the new airport had taken away habitat where coyotes once lived and preyed on rabbits. With the predators gone, the rabbits multiplied rapidly.

"They were just overrun with bunnies!" MacMillan exclaimed, noting they eventually had to round up rabbits and remove them.

MacMillan noted all plants and animals have a part to play in the food chain and organizations like CPAWS can help to protect the ecosystems that support them.

To help students remember the CPAWS visit, MacMillan called on teacher Tasha Hollins to play a "Who am I?" game with the group. The teacher was given a hidden identity and relied on students for clues to help her guess that she was a ladybug.

Hollins thanked MacMillan for the presentation and noted its message fits perfectly into the Grade 3-4 curriculum and subjects the students are studying.