Conserve the Carson River Work Day is 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 9, at the Park Cattle Co. on the site of the old Dangberg Ranch on Highway 88. There will be 146 students from the Douglas County School District spending half a day in an outdoor classroom along the banks of the Carson River.
The students will be divided into groups to participate in timed stations of work. The stations include identifying wildlife along the river using fur pelts and skeletal remains. Other students work to bundle willow branches, dig trenches along the banks of the river and partially bury the bindles in the trenches. The willows will root and grow to help stabilize the riverbanks to prevent erosion.
Another project will involve viewing samples of insects taken from the river through miniature-sized microscopes. With the use of identification keys, the students will be able to identify and record different river inhabitants including leeches, caddis, mayflies and back swimmers. At another station, students will perform water quality tests for temperature, pH balance and clarity.
Finally, the students will learn the journey of water through a game where the students become individual water molecules, such as clouds, rain then drops of water and follow the journey water makes in the water cycle. When they return to school, the students participate in debriefing sessions to discuss possible projects inspired by the work day.
This is the third year Conserve Carson River Work Day will take this format since its inception in 1995. The program is made possible due to a grant from Carson Water Sub conservancy received by River Wranglers Coordinator Linda Conlin with the assistance of Watershed Coordinator for the Carson Valley Conservation District Paul Pugsley and Development Coordinator for Western Nevada Resource Conservation Dan Kaffer.
Soroptimist International of Carson Valley helps organize the events and donates and serves breakfast and lunch.
The program's motto, "Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand," is the catalyst for continuing this worthy program for years to come.
