Words from a Water Conservationist

Crystal Hogue is a water conservationist and is putting her best effort into informing and educating people about the importance of water and the necessity of conserving it. She had the opportunity to participate in a few Playa Festivals, and here is what she has written about her experience, along with some photos she has taken:

This past month, the UWCD Education Cooperative was able to help host and participate in three Playa Festivals. We were excited to have another opportunity to talk to 5th grade students in Meadow, Wellman-Union, Dawson, Denver City& Brownfield about the importance of conserving water. While water conservation was a key topic during the Festivals, other issues that were addressed helped play a key role in teaching our students the importance of preserving our playa lakes.

However, as I’m sure every 5th grader would agree my favorite part of the festivals were visiting a playa lake in person. What an experience it was for some of the students to leave the city pavement, to explore a playa in the pastures of West Texas. I enjoyed jumping in the mud with the Meadow students; catching frogs with the Brownfield group; and finding fossils in Denver City. The experiences we had will be something that our schools will not forget.

None of this could have been possible, without the hard working staff at the local NRCS& Texas AgriLife Extension offices, as well as Dr. Birkenfield and Julie Boatright, with Ogallala Commons. They spent countless hours preparing for our festivals, so our students could have the opportunity to learn outside of their classroom. It is amazing how much we can accomplish, when a community pulls together for a great cause.

Top: Student from Denver City, holding up a couple of Devil's Claws.
Middle: Students from Meadow, jumping in the mud and getting dirty.
Bottom: Students from Brownfield scoping out a playa.

Thanks Crystal for your input and your photos!