The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

(FORT BENTON, Mont.) – Water is essential to life. In various parts of the world, water can be easy to come by… or not.

Of all the water in the world, only 1 percent is available as fresh water needed to survive. The United States holds almost half the world’s fresh water. While the average American uses 176 gallons of water per day, the average person in a developing country must walk about 4 miles for about 5 gallons per day.

Within the United States the Missouri River drains almost two-thirds of the country. Without the powerful Missouri, the town of Fort Benton, Montana, may not have even made it onto a Montana map. The Missouri River has provided: a highway for steamboats laden with goods for settlers; a great recreational experience for modern day canoers; and water for all life, including humans. The river and its tributaries is the main tool being used to sculpt the spectacular breaks and badlands of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.

“Water, Water Everywhere?” an interactive program for families and children of all ages will be held at the Upper Missouri River Breaks Interpretive Center 10 a.m., Aug. 11. The program is being presented by Montana Conservation Corps Intern Kayla Glossner, an Environmental Biology major at Lock Haven University, Pennsylvania, working at the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center this summer.

Through interactive activities children will learn: how much water a person uses during a day, where that water could come from, and all of the places water is found. Through a hands-on experience families and children will gain appreciation for how precious a natural resource like the Upper Missouri River can be.

The interpretive center is located at 701 7th St., Fort Benton, Mont. For more information, call the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center at 877-256-3252 or 406-622-4000.