Happy National Pollinator Month!
2023 Poster Contest
The 2023 Poster Contest has closed. Check out your local winners below!
10 - 12 - Ava Ostrander
7 - 9 - Abigail Ostrander
4 - 6 - Flint Ostrander
2 - 3 - Cade Cozzens
K - 1 - Tate Cozzens
Converse County Conservation District is pleased to announce the 2023 Poster Contest and Stewardship Week. Stewardship Week will be focused on watersheds and the theme of “One Water”. The 68th Annual Stewardship Week will take place April 30, 2023 – May 7, 2023.
But what is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, eventually leading to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. Those bodies of water are all connected, so every drop that falls becomes part of one water.
Watersheds can be any size and usually have some high points of land like hills, mountains, or ridges. When rain, sleet, or snow falls to the ground, the precipitation runs from those higher points to the lower points. Gravity pulls the water downhill until it reaches a body of water. If the land in the watershed is steep, the water usually runs off into rivers or streams. If the land in the watershed is level, the water will slowly flow into lakes or ponds, or seep into the soil and add to groundwater. If the watershed is close to the ocean, then tidal marshes, estuaries, and wetlands will be part of the watershed. From the top of the mountain all the way to the coast, it is all one water.
Have you ever watched it rain? The raindrops fall on the ground and flow through the soil. Water soaks through the soil until it reaches groundwater, which is water that moves through spaces in soil and rock underground. A lot of the water we use and drink every day comes from water in the ground. As it rains and the water runs off, it collects in rivers, lakes, and oceans and then returns to the atmosphere to fall as rain somewhere else. All land across the entire earth is made up of watersheds. We all live in a watershed. We share the water in our watershed with other people, with animals, and with plants because… it is all one water.
Awards (including monetary) and special recognition will be given to students with winning poster submissions. Local winners will be eligible for WACD’s State Poster Contest.
But what is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, eventually leading to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. Those bodies of water are all connected, so every drop that falls becomes part of one water.
Watersheds can be any size and usually have some high points of land like hills, mountains, or ridges. When rain, sleet, or snow falls to the ground, the precipitation runs from those higher points to the lower points. Gravity pulls the water downhill until it reaches a body of water. If the land in the watershed is steep, the water usually runs off into rivers or streams. If the land in the watershed is level, the water will slowly flow into lakes or ponds, or seep into the soil and add to groundwater. If the watershed is close to the ocean, then tidal marshes, estuaries, and wetlands will be part of the watershed. From the top of the mountain all the way to the coast, it is all one water.
Have you ever watched it rain? The raindrops fall on the ground and flow through the soil. Water soaks through the soil until it reaches groundwater, which is water that moves through spaces in soil and rock underground. A lot of the water we use and drink every day comes from water in the ground. As it rains and the water runs off, it collects in rivers, lakes, and oceans and then returns to the atmosphere to fall as rain somewhere else. All land across the entire earth is made up of watersheds. We all live in a watershed. We share the water in our watershed with other people, with animals, and with plants because… it is all one water.
Awards (including monetary) and special recognition will be given to students with winning poster submissions. Local winners will be eligible for WACD’s State Poster Contest.
Educational OutreachConverse County Conservation District would like to remind our local teachers and youth organization leaders to take advantage of our many classroom activities including the Enviroscape Model and water quality monitoring lessons on the North Platte River. Annually, the District is happy to sponsor Arbor Day educational activities and allow the kids get to take their own tree home to plant.
K-12 OutreachThe District works to provide educational opportunities for children in our county relating to natural resource issues. Educational programs are offered year round for any age of students! Any interest in an educational activity, please contact the District.
Water Quality World Water Monitoring Day
World Water Monitoring Challenge (WWMC) is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the work by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies. WWMC grew out of the World Water Monitoring Day program in 2012. While an official “day” continues to be observed each year on September 18, the broader “challenge” encourages people everywhere to test the quality of their waterways, share their findings and protect our most precious resource. In the past, CCCD has tested the waters of the North Platte River with local students. On-site monitoring tests included temperature, turbidity, pH and dissolved oxygen. The primary goal of WWMC is to educate and engage citizens in the protection of the world’s water resources. Many people are unaware of the impact their behaviors have on water quality. Conducting simple monitoring tests teaches participants about some of the most common indicators of water health. WWMD data will be published on-line each year at www.worldwatermonitoringday.org so people all over the world can see the monitoring results. |
Stewardship Week
For more then 50 years, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has sponsored a national program to encourage natural resources stewardship. The program relies in large part on conservation districts as they share and promote stewardship and conservation activities year-round and during Stewardship Week, the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in May. The theme for NACD's 2023 Stewardship Week is "One Water"
During Stewardship Week, there is a poster contest for children to participate in. All posters are judged according to NACD guidelines.
During Stewardship Week, there is a poster contest for children to participate in. All posters are judged according to NACD guidelines.