Most teenagers these days are glued to their phones, but for 30 minutes on September 16, 2019, my classmates and I had a unique experience where we were connected to nature. without being distracted by the buzzing of our phones. To be more specific, we were passengers on the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment glass bottom boat tour. The glass-bottom boat tour promotes environmental awareness and offers passengers a close-up view of the underwater world. Our guide gave us an informal lecture on the movement, quality and properties of the waters as well as the history of the springs. Visually seeing the water and wildlife without having to physically dive to see them is a one-of-a-kind experience unique to Spring Lake. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay At the headwaters of the San Marcos River, many springs bubble up to form Spring Lake, hence its name. Spring Lake is a freshwater ecosystem fed by the Edward Aquifer. The water gushes out of the springs at a constant temperature of 74°. Spring Lake is home to a wide variety of aquatic life. Additionally, some species in Spring Lake cannot be found anywhere else in the world, making them unique to the lake. Additionally, Spring Lake is home to five endangered species, such as the Texas wild rice and the Texas blind salamander. Nonetheless, I enjoyed seeing the many turtles in the water. Although the tour only lasted 30 minutes, the information I learned about the importance of keeping our waters clean will resonate with me for the rest of my life. Specifically, learning about stormwater awareness has been a real eye-opener. As a Houstonian, we don't have many freshwater rivers nearby. Because of this, I have never been properly informed about how our actions can harm water quality. Luckily, our guide pointed out where the trash, food, and oil go when it's littered on the streets. In short, rainwater moves automobile leaks, food scraps, and trash into storm drains. Once these contaminants enter the storm drains, they move to the nearest river. These contaminants are generally neither treated nor filtered, thus quickly contaminating the river. The raw beauty of the lake is a source of inspiration to protect the waters and avoid waste at all costs, as it has dire consequences that the eyes may not see. Overall, seeing groundwater and wildlife in action helped us understand the importance of water and conservation. In addition to being made aware of the cleanliness of our river, we were informed of many interesting facts about Spring Lake. In particular, a fact concerning the late Johnny Weissmuller. Weissmuller was a famous swimmer and actor, well known for starring in the original Tarzan films. Weissmuller visited Spring Lakes in 1965 to film underwater performances for the Tarzan series. Simply put, the glass bottom boat tour was a fascinating experience. For someone who doesn't like the outdoors, it was nice to see nature's beautiful aquatic creatures and learn about the history of Spring Lake. The water in Spring Lake is extremely clean, making it easy to see directly to the bottom. Being from Houston, the fresh water we have is at Galveston Beach, where the water is murky, so seeing clear water was a pleasant sight. In addition to communicating with the water and the lake, it was nice to take the boat trip with my classmates..