DOINews: Reclamation: Western Colorado Area Office Participates in Water Festival

	Fifth-graders at the Children's Water Festival take part in a Bureau of Reclamation class called the "Colorado River Journey." Teaching them is Steve McCall, one of several retired Reclamation employees who love the festival so much they came back to help. Photo by Reclamation.

On May 19 and 20, 2014, the Western Colorado Area Office participated in the 2014 Children's Water Festival for fifth graders in Mesa and Delta Counties. Attendees of the festival arrived at Colorado Mesa University in the morning by bus and participated in water-related classes and activities.

Reclamation teaches two classes. In one class, the Water Rights Game, the kids learn about senior and junior water rights and the effects of water right priorities on all water users. The second class is the Colorado River Journey, in which the kids learn about Colorado River water diversions, water sources and water quality.

Reclamation also has two exhibits in the Exhibit Hall, one on water measurement and one on the Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.

Nearly 2,500 kids attended the festival accompanied by their teachers and some parents. The day is fun and educational and the kids look forward to this all year long! Thank you to the Western Colorado Area Office Employees who helped this year: Steve Coverly, Josh Dunham, Dee Dee Fowler, Allen Giger, Justyn Hock, Kevin Moran, Bob Norman and John Sottilare. An extra "thank you" goes to retired Western Colorado Area Employees Mike Baker, Dan Crabtree, Ram Dhan Khalsa and Steve McCall who love the Water Festival so much they volunteered their time.

By: Bureau of Reclamation

June 5, 2014

This story appears on Reclamation's Youth website here.