Nowadays, most teenagers are glued to their phones, but for 30 minutes on September 16, 2019, my classmates and I lived a unique experience where we were in contact with nature without being distracted by the buzz of our phones. To be specific, we were passengers on the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment's glass bottom boat tour. The glass bottom boat tour promotes environmental awareness and gives passengers an up-close view of the underwater world. Our tour guide gave us an informal lecture on the movement, quality and properties of the water and the history of the springs. Visually seeing the water and wildlife without having to physically go under 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the headwaters of the San Marcos River, numerous springs flow out to form Spring Lake, hence the name. Spring Lake is a freshwater ecosystem with water supplied by the Edward Aquifer. The water flows from the springs at a constant temperature of 74°. Spring Lake is home to a wide variety of aquatic life. Additionally, some of Spring Lake's species 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. However, 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 a lifetime. More specifically, learning about stormwater awareness was a real eye-opener. Being from Houston, we don't have many freshwater rivers nearby. Because of this, I have never been adequately informed about how one's actions can negatively affect water quality. Luckily, our tour guide informed us where the rubbish, food and oil go when they are littered on the streets. In short, rainwater moves car spills, food and litter into storm drains. Once these contaminants enter storm drains, they travel to the nearest river. These contaminants are generally untreated and unfiltered, so they quickly contaminate the river. The stark beauty of the lake serves as inspiration to protect the waters and avoid waste at all costs, because it has disastrous consequences that the eyes may not see. All in all, seeing groundwater and wildlife in action helped us appreciate the importance of water and conservation. In addition to being educated on how to keep our river clean, we were informed of several interesting facts about Spring Lake. In particular, a fact regarding the late Johnny Weissmuller. Weissmuller was a famous swimmer and actor, known for starring in the original Tarzan films, Weissmuller visited Spring Lakes in 1965 to film underwater shows for the Tarzan series. Simply put, the glass bottom boat tour was a fascinating experience. For someone who doesn't enjoy the outdoors, it was great to see nature's beautiful aquatic creatures and be educated on the history of Spring Lake. The water in Spring Lake is extremely clean and it is easy to see directly to the bottom. Being from Houston, the closest fresh water we have is at Galveston Beach, where the water is murky, so seeing the clear water was a nice sight. In addition to the connection with the water and the lake, it was nice to experience the Boat Tour with my parents.