What do sixth grade students and a lot of water have in common? Water Awareness Week in Idaho! More than 14,000 students and their teachers throughout the state studied and celebrated Idaho’s water resources May
10-14 during the 11th annual Water Awareness Week (WAW). Activities around the state include water festivals, classroom presentations and tours of water-related facilities or industries.
 Friends of the Teton River worked with Lou Gaylord, Teton Middle School science teacher, to design and coordinate WAW activities in Teton Valley. On May 10 and 11, we hosted 100 sixth graders at Rainey Fish and Game Teton River Access and the Fairgrounds. The objectives of the day were to introduce sixth graders to some of the fundamental features of water resources in the Teton Valley and to give them the opportunity to meet professionals who work in water-related fields.
There were six different educational stations teaching topics such as Ground and Surface Water, Water Quality, Soils, Teton River Fish, Riparian Vegetation, Birds and Wildlife. All stations involved “hands-on” learning activities, which generally included getting wet and/or dirty!
The stations were led by volunteers from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Friends of the Teton River, U.S. Forest Service, Grand Targhee, Teton Regional Land Trust, and the Teton Middle School. To add to the days’ festivities, the City of Driggs and the Teton County school board barbecued lunch for the kids and participants.
Thank you to the Donald C. Brace Foundation for making this day possible.
|
