Water: Shaping the Future in Silicon Valley

Get here before it closes.

On Wednesday, GreenTown Los Altos held a reception to celebrate its unusual multi-dimensional educational exhibit, "" about Santa Clara Valley's unique connection to water, and even the people who are predisposed toward these things said they were surprised at what they learned.

The exhibit at the looks at how water shaped this area, from the times of Spanish missionionaries, to the Mexican ranchos, to the Gold Rush and into present day.

And this is not just for school kids. If you've ever wondered about your water bill (have you seen the new rates that went out last week for Purissima Hills?), the educational displays will help your perspective.

Witness Los Altos Environmental Commission Chair Don Bray's reaction.

"I didn’t know that our local streams don’t formally channel all the way to the bay, and I wasn’t aware of how severe the ground water depletion and land subsidence issues have been in Santa Clara Valley," Bray said.

"I didn’t know there were ever artesian wells around here. The history of the local water projects, dams, etc. was also new."

"I couldn’t believe how much I learned," Bray wrote to curator Linda Gass, a Los Altos Hills-based artist who has focused all of her work on water.

As an artist, Gass has interwoven art into the exhibit through a series of events that began after the exhibit opened in October. But the exhibit is coming to an end April  22, a short seven weeks away, and supporters fret that only a fraction of the people who would enjoy it, have come out to see it.

"The environmental content is rich, and the historical/political context really brings it all alive," Bray continued. "Is there a way/venue etc. for keeping this exhibit together after April?

Perhaps the San Jose Tech Museum could, he speculated. "Maybe they could add some water conservation technologies to the mix."

Gass thinks the educational content of the exhibit is "essential to anyone living in this area." And thet're really hoping to boost attendance in the remaining weeks," Gass said.

The museum is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m