Our last day at State Youth Water Camp was focused on helping the students prepare for their speeches at the banquet. The kids did a great job presenting their findings from their specific project groups. All of the adults could see and hear a major improvement in everyone’s public speaking skills. The students received awards for their accomplishments during the week. The guest speaker for the banquet was, Gary Walker of the Sandy Land UWCD.

After having the weekend to reflect on my time in Monahans I have decided that I could not be a professional camp counselor. There were times when I wondered if I could walk one more step, or if I could listen to another kid’s ringtone on their phone. However, after hearing the kids talk at the closing ceremonies about how much fun they had and how much they learned, it was all worth it. They students gained knowledge about water conservation and the water industry that they can carry with them forever,and I am so glad that I could be apart of that. We had a fantastic group of kids and I am looking forward to seeing them again next year.

I would also like to thank Abigail Pritchard, Arlan Gentry and Leo Carrillo for allowing me to participate and experience my first water camp. I look forward to working with you all again soon.

For more information on State Youth Water Camp, visit the Ward County Extension Office website at

http://ward-co.tamu.edu/pubcat.cfm?COUNTY=Ward&CatID=766

Texas Water Camp: Day 4

We had another fun filled day at the Texas State Water Camp. We began early this morning at the Sandhills State Park. We had two presenters give myself and the students an in-depth description of how the Sandhills formed and the history of the land.

Note: wear closed toed shoes when you are going to be walking on sand.

Next we traveled to the Luminant Power Plant in Monahans. We were lucky enough to have the manager of the power plant guide us through a two hour tour of the ends and outs of the plant. Luminant also provided a hamburger lunch for the students after the tour.

After lunch we drove into Odessa to the Water Treatment Plant. The presentation began in the outside facilities and later we were given a detailed presentation in the laboratory. It took everything the kids had not to jump in the giant tanks filled with water.

Our last stop of the day was to the Time Machine Mulch Garden. The Master Gardeners of Odessa discussed with the students the importance of mulch and showed us their Xeriscape garden.

Tomorrow will be our last day here at camp. As I type this blog, the students are working hard to prepare a presentation for members of the community on their project at Texas Water Camp.

Texas Water Camp: Day 3

What a busy day we had at water camp!We started things off very early, or early for me, at 6 a.m. ,to travel to Monahans.

Once we arrived we had a wonderful breakfast at Nancy Christopher’s house. Rick Fowler, a rancher located in Crane, Texas, gave the students a brief presentation on windmills.

Soon after our windmill presentation we hopped in the van and sped away to Coyanosa, Texas ,USA, population 300. Elmer Braden talked to the students about the different types of irrigation used on their family farm. The students were able to see the various crops that he produces including; cotton, corn, peppers, and alfalfa.

After a plentiful lunch at the Coyanosa Community Center, we traveled to Belding Farms Pecan Orchard. Anastacio Alcala and Jimmy Bennet took us on a tour through the pecan orchards and showed us the different types of watering methods they use on their farm. The Belding Orchard produces 10% of the states pecans, and luckily we were able to take hope a small sample of that 10%.

The last stop for the day was the Noble Dairy Farm. We had such a great time learning about their organic dairy farm and their day to day procedures. The ice cream that was provided at the end of the tour was appreciated by the hungry, tired campers.

In closing today’s blog, I have to add a picture of two special guys who helped us out with a little/big problem we had during the hottest time of the day. Thanks to their mechanical skills and my womanly instinct to read the owner’s manual we had that flat fixed in no time!

Texas Water Camp: Day 2

Texas Water Camp : Day 2

What a busy day we had here at water camp. There is so much to talk about that I will just be posting pictures of the presentations/presenters with a brief description of each.

The State of Texas Water
Gary Bryant : Extension Program Specialist

Water Supply
Whitney Milberger-Laird: TWDB

Water Districts
Paul Weatherby: General Manager, Middle Pecos Groundwater

Rainwater Harvesting
Billy Kniffen: Texas Agrilife Water Resource Specialist

Group Lap Work
Logan Boswell: CEA-AG, Brewster/ Jeff Davis Co

Project Group Work
Wade Kirkwood, Logan Lair, Alyson McDonald & Abigail Pritchard

Tomorrow we will have a busy day traveling and site seeing. On the agenda is a windmill tour, Pecan Orchard, Balmorhea State Park, Noble Dairy tour and group presentations. I’m getting tired just typing this all out.

Texas Water Camp: Day 1

We are helping with the 17th annual Texas State Water Camp this week in Monahans, Texas. This five day educational camp features hands-on-experiences, guest speakers and field trips.

Sunday was our first day here at camp. We started the eveneing off with a welcome from Teresa Burnett, Director-Monahans Chamber of Commerce.

We then had a recreational activity provided by Kodie Hoover.

Be sure to visit our blog throughout the week to see what we are doing here at camp. We are looking forward to the exciting activities, tours and guest speakers during the next few days.

LEUWCD Board Member wins PPA for Southwest states

Weldon Shook, Llano Estacado UWCD Board Member, earned the 2009 Southwest Peanut Profitability Award. Shook’s peanut and cotton rotation and his better than 5,000 pounds per acre average peanut yield last year, helped him win this prestigious award.

The Education Cooperative would like to congratulate Shook on his success. We are proud to have him serving as a member of the board of one of our Underground Water Conservation District's.

To view the entire article published in SouthEast Farm Press visit the following link:
http://southeastfarmpress.com/peanuts/southwest-peanuts-0706/

Gaines County Library

What a great group of kids we had today! We were at the Gaines County Library for the Llano Estacado Underground Water Conservation District! A presentation was given at 10:00 a.m. to the younger age group and another talk was given at 2:00 p.m. to an older group. The students were given a presentation about rain sticks, similar to the one presented to the students in Yoakum County last week. Both age groups were so much fun to work with and we look forward to visiting the Gaines County Library again soon!

Special Thanks to Melissa for helping me! I enjoyed having an extra set of hands!