Students from Jose Barrios gleefully splashing in the Gila River during free time during the Children's Water Festival"Ahhh….this is the life!" exclaimed a 5th grader from Bayard Elementary school as he sat on his beach towel next to the Gila River and ate his lunch.  Yellow Warblers vocalized above him in the Cottonwood Trees and children were gleefully chattering to one another, excited to be outdoors. During the month of may, over 300 5th graders from the Silver City and Cobre School Districts had the opportunity to experience the Children's Water Festival; a day of hands-on, experiential discovery at the Gila and Mimbres Rivers.

5th graders from Harrison Schmitt Elementary School pose during the Children's Water Festival located at the Mogollon Day use area

The event is organized by the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance (UGWA), a

non-profit watershed protection and conservation organization working to promote the long-term health of the Upper Gila Watershed and its communities of life. Carol Ann Fugagli, UGWA's Executive Director and event organizer, stated "I look forward to this event nearly as much as the kids do. Sharing my knowledge and love of the outdoors is meaningful because this could be the very thing a student needs to switch on their love for the outdoors turning them into lifelong stewards of the environment".

Sadie Gavaldon, a 5th grader from San Lorenzo, displays an aquatic worm she found in the Mimbres River during the Children's Water FestivalEach student is given a hand net to observe and identify the aquatic macroinvertebrates living in the river which sometimes reveal startling -looking organisms. Each group goes on a nature hike where students learn the beneficial results of a free-flowing river, names of riparian vegetarian, and common bird vocalizations. Bones expert Kate Dixon presented entire animal skeletons of local animals and skulls were identified as predator or prey. The festival is offered to only one school at a time for focused attention and increased solitude.

Jocelyn Lyons-Baral, an educator at Guadalupe Montessori School, affirmed "These experiences in the Gila connect our children to this amazing place we live in, preparing them for stewardship or for educating others, or simply passing on their love for Gila to their own children". 

UGWA would like to thank our funders for supporting this program: Conservation Lands Foundation, the Lineberry Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and Outdoor Equity Fund.

Educator Kate Dixon, explains the differences between predator and prey and other nuances in skulls of our local wildlife to students from Guadalupe Montessori School during the Children's Water Festival