Carson River work days Nov. 18-19

Staff Reports

Conserve the Carson River Education Work Days are Nov. 18 and 19 at the Park Cattle Co. on Highway 88 in Minden. Almost 300 students from Douglas County elementary schools will spend half a day in an outdoor classroom along the banks of the Carson River.

The students will be divided into groups to participate in stations taught by Douglas High School students to learn about water cycles, how to test water quality, the watershed and animals that share the river with us. They will learn about erosion by planting willow bundles to stabilize the bank. The students will record the information in journals to be used in classrooms to teach creative writing, geography and Nevada history.

This is the fourth Conserve Carson River Education Work Day since its inception in 1995. The program is made possible due to a grant from Carson Water Subconservancy received by River Wranglers coordinator Linda Conlin, with the assistance of Paul Pugsley, watershed coordinator for the Carson Valley Conservation District and Dan Kaffer, development coordinator for Western Nevada Resource Conservation. Soroptimist International of Carson Valley helps to organize the events and donates and serves participants breakfast and lunch when the work is complete.

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 program.