Friona Playa Festival Evolves by Tonda Clark, 5th Grade Teacher Friona ISD

Friona Elementary just completed our best Playa Festival ever. The tradition continues. We are still moving forward and working to make each year more successful than the previous. With the help of the Education and Training classes from our High School and many partners we have improved and made it the best outdoor learning experience possible. This year we had a three day festival and it was great to see the student’s interacting with guest speakers, teachers and peers. The Playa Posse spent the first day of the festival in Nazareth at the outdoor Playa classroom. The students loved being outdoors. They loved learning about journaling, playa plants and animals, erosion, and more. Students loved the owls. What a great opportunity it is to see living things from nature. Thanks to Dr. Birkenfeld, Julie Boatright, Jim Steiert, Bill Johnson and Gail Barnes for making it a wonderful experience.
Students examine plants with TPWD Biologist Bill Johnson in Nazareth
The next two days were spent at Friona Community Center and Reeves Lake. The students were taught by high school education in training classes about the importance of Playa Lakes, playa habitats, and what we can do to save water. Activities created by high school students included all the curriculum areas and were connected to the fifth grade TEKS. Students used GPS units on a playa geocache, weighed and measured materials discovered in field investigations, and re-created nest from common playa inhabitants. Each student created a playa model with Randall clay and bird and plant specimens. They created nature vocabulary cards, measured the amount of water it takes to brush your teeth if you leave the water on, and created beautiful murals of the playas.
Friona 5th Graders (in red shirts) and high school education students (pink shirts) pose for a group photo at Reeves Lake in Friona
Friona elementary loves the playa experience and we have plans to inform the community about the importance of playas during our open house in March. Students want to share their new knowledge with others. It is an awesome thing to watch students past and present teaching others about our most valuable natural resources

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!

Playa Festival Educators

Playa Festivals would not be possible without the amazing folks who give their time and energy to making memorable presentations during Playa Festivals.

DAVID HAUKOS, PH.D.
David Haukos, Ph.D is a professor at Texas Tech University and a biologist for US Fish & Wildlife. At each Playa Festival Dr. Haukos presents two learning modules. The first is "Playa Overview" where Festival participants learn what playas are, what they do, and why they are important from this leading expert. Dr. Haukos also teaches "Playa Plants," a natural fit for the co-author of "Common Flora of the Playa Lakes."

GAIL BARNES & JASPER THE BARN OWL

Gail Barnes is the Educator for the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and Nightwings, non-profits in Lubbock, Texas dedicated to rehabilitation of injured, orphaned, or ill wildlife. Gail is state and federally permitted to do programs with educational animals (wildlife that could not be released back into the wild). She is usually the highlight of Playa Festivals delighting the children with Jasper the Barn Owl, and several other raptors that travel with her.

JIM STIERT

To delight Playa Festival participants with duck calls and pseudo thunderstorms is author and waterfowler, Jim Stiert. Jim's presentation, titled "Playa Lakes Buffers & Waterfowl" illustrates challenges faced by playa wetlands and the ducks and geese that depend on playas for habitat.

DARRYL BIRKENFELD, PH.D
Not only is he the Executive Director of Ogallala Commons! Darryl Birkenfeld teaches students about an array of subjects, including soils, macro invertebrates, and amphibians. His presentations are filled with stories about his personal experiences on playas. Dr. Birkenfeld also assists in leading the field trip to a playa on Day 1 of each Playa Festival.

JULIE BOATRIGHT, MS
Julie Boatright is the Education Coordinator for Ogallala Commons. She teaches Bird Identification and Nature Journaling at Playa Festivals, as well as serving as a guide at each Playa field trip.


NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE
At each Playa Festival a representative from the county NRCS office assists in teaching and scouting out field trip locations. This is an important and vital role for Playa Festivals.


All photographs are by Crystal Hogue, Education and Public Relations for UWCD in West Texas.