Voting continues on Facebook through October 15 in the Toms's of Maine 50 States for Good program. 

15 winners will be chosen out of 51 nonprofits, based on public vote, to receive grants of $10,000 each to support programs. Vote every day!  Each vote brings us closer to providing program scholarships for school students from low-income rural and urban communities. Click here to vote for RiverQuest now on Facebook.  Thanks!

Who says science is only for the big kids?  Early learners join in the family fun this fall on board RiverQuest Explorer. New early learner-friendly activities join our popular environmental science activities for all ages. Mid-October is usually when you can enjoy the fall foliage in the river valleys, as well... rain or shine!    Click here for the Saturday Family Sails Schedule.

Although a natural part of the the ecosystem, waterfowl can cause issues in confined aquatic ecosystems because of their waste products. Their waste can expose water to pathogens like E. coli, fecal coliform bacteria, cryptosporidium, and giardia, and others, and excess nutrients that can upset and hasten the growth of algae.

Join us on a short flight of fancy. Though we usually deal in the metric system, for this little game we'll stick to old fashioned "English" units, and we'll use an adult duck for comparison.

According to friends of ours at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh an adult duck produces 2 Tablespoons of waste (combined liquid and solid waste) every 15 minutes, during daylight hours only.

A typical adult duck (sitting) measures about 12 inches wide x 18 inches long x 12 inches high.  Because most of the volume is in the body (and not in the head and neck that account for the sitting duck's height) we reduced the height to 8 inches (or 0.75 feet). Converting all of these measurements to feet, and then multiplying the three figures results in a volume of about 0.75 cubic foot in volume. 

According to friends of ours at Visit Pittsburgh the big Rubber Duck is four stories tall, three stories wide, and three stories long.   Consider the shape of the duck when you calculate the volume -- the big rubber duck is not a cube.

Here's the challenge!  Using the adult duck as a volumetric comparison:

How much waste would a real adult duck the size of the big rubber duck have produced on Sunday, September 22, 2013? Here's a hint: your answer should be converted to gallons!

Send an email to info@riverquest.org showing HOW you would estimate the amount of waste produced, based on the information here! (Don't just send your answer-- it's the PROCESS that's the fun part!) Age 18 and up. Under 18 should enter with a parent or guardian.

From all of those entries who give it a good shot, we'll choose five winners to receive a pass for 4 admissions to a Saturday Family Sail. Good luck!