Teresa Gonzales - Castro County Playa Festival

The Fifth Annual Castro County Playa Festival was held in Nazareth, Texas on October 25, 2011.  The Festival was attended by approximately 100 students and teachers.  Buses arrived at the Home Mercantile filled with excited students prepared for a great day of learning.  Students began the day with a session on how to keep a nature journal.  It was presented by Julie Hodges, OC Education Director, whose enthusiasm and love for nature is exemplified in her own nature journal.  After clear directions and journals in hand, the students are prepared for their anticipated outdoor experience.
Our goal is not only to teach students about High Plains water and the importance of conservation but also raise an awareness of the beauty of nature including live raptors (rare and beautiful owls),  learning about waterfowl and playa buffers (topics new and fresh that apply to our very own communities),  and finally, experiencing a playa first-hand (giving students an opportunity to explore, make observations and drawing conclusions on their own).  We believe very student can succeed to their potential given the opportunity.

Mississippi Kite Bird perched on Gail's hand 

Students were divided into four rotating groups for the four presentations.  Teachers marked each students' hand with their group number to avoid any confusion.  Our live raptor presentation was given by Gail Barnes of the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Lubbock, Tx.  This presentation was a big success as Gail describes and explains details of the habitats and characteristics of her owls.  Students were amazed at the beauty of the uncaged owls perched on Gail's hand.  I think Pippin and Titan were the students all-time favorites!
Our next session was the Playa Lake Buffers and Waterfowl demonstration by  Jim Steiret an author and waterfowler.  We were pleasantly surprised by an unexpected visitor,  a Northern Harrier!  He is the first winter bird to visit this year. (While it may not be the first one to visit this year, it is the first one we have seen.)
Darryl Birkenfeld, OC Executive Director and Teresa Gonzales, Educator and OC Intern, combined to present "what is a Playa" and "Playa Soils".  Using the outdoor classroom, students completed a T-Chart on Top Soil and Randall Clay. The educational panels proved to be very useful in the discussion of playas. The panels include maps and illustrations that gave the students a better understanding of  the history of playas, where they are, why they are unique to our region,  and the wildlife that thrives here.  Finally, students were able to make observations of what a playa might look like in a normal rain year by the use of the playa jars.  A great visual model!


Students enjoy a day of exploring and journaling on the playa

 The last group was presented by Julie Hodges and Teresa Gonzales combined to guide the students on the Playa Tour.  Students were given the opportunity to explore the playa and  encouraged to collect  vegetation, snails, or even clay for further investigation.  Students were successful in finding and identifying orb snails, blue weed, dodder, and spikerush...all present despite this drought year.
As always, teachers were encouraged to collect Randall clay for future classroom playa jars!   This project has endless possibilities for learning as it is constantly changing as the seeds grow and the eggs to hatch for all to see!   We have one educator in Dora, N.M. who utilizes playa jars to create an environment for constant observations and communication.  Every student has their own playa jar to observe individually or compare with others in the class.
We strive for all students to be successful and excited about learning...Playa Festivals are a valuable tool that should be utilized by any school district that believes in a full experience of learning.