On October 1, 2022, four NLAE employees- Bert Swalla, John Kovar, Bryan Emmett, and Tom Sauer- traveled to downtown Ames to participate in the Ames Ecofair! We showed “Red Wigglers” in compost, fungi decomposing roots, and demonstrated how the water cycle works. Our illusion of water coming from thin air was a big hit! While the kids pondered how we were creating the illusion, we explained that it used the same water over and over, just like we use the same water over and over.  We explained how the water cycle works in a continuous cycle of precipitation, infiltration, evaporation, and condensation. We explained how we are working at keeping our water clean, so we always have enough. We gave out compost starter kits with compost worms included. The mood pencils were a big hit as always.