Local students learn about playas, wildlife

STAFF WRITER

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Fourth and fifth grade students from Dora, Elida and Floyd schools were given a wealth of scientific knowledge on playas and their inhabitants on Monday.

Ogallala Commons hosted a playa festival at Dora Municipal Schools, which gave students a chance to learn about playas, the animals and insects that depend on them, water cycles and the Ogallala Aquifer in Eastern New Mexico through hands-on workshops and a field exploration at Tarver Playa south of Dora.

The day began with an orientation and a pre-test, then students were put into four groups for concurrent sessions that cycled through a series of presentations taught by local experts.

In a presentation taught by Robert Martin, the New Mexico coordinator for Ogallala Commons, the students learned about the ecology of playa amphibians and reptiles.

link Staff photo: Jackie Johnson

During the Playa Festival at Dora Municipal School on Monday, presenter Jim Steiert lets one of the students help with an erosion demonstration.

Martin demonstrated the sounds of each amphibian and reptile on his phone to have the children guess what they might be before revealing them from a tub.

Among the creatures the students got to touch was a bull snake, which seemed to be the most polarizing reptile of the bunch.

While some students jumped out of their seats in fear, Oliver Melendez, 10, was delighted by his chance to pet the snake.

"I really like snakes," Melendez said. "This one was big."

A water trailer with recycled plastic meant to mimic soil was set up outside to aid in a water erosion demonstration by National Resources Conservation Service Soil Conservationist Cody Townsend and Wildlife Biologist Jake Swafford.

"The trailer gives the kids the visual effects and a hands-on experience to see the difference between surface water and ground water," Townsend said. "They're able to stick their hands inside, and it's like drilling a well — they can feel the water under the surface."

Jim Steiert, a writer and naturalist from Hereford, Texas, gave a presentation on playa buffers and a waterfowl demonstration.

Steiert taught the students why playas are important, what's destroying them, how to protect them and their role in the Ogallala Aquifer.

He said he was impressed by the students knowledge and engagement.

“I don’t know if it was due to studying beforehand or experience, but they really knew a lot more than I expected them to,” he said.

link Staff photo: Jackie Johnson

Students experiment with a water trailer as part of a water erosion demonstration given by National Resources Conservation Service Soil Conservationist Cody Townsend, right, and Wildlife Biologist Jake Swafford, left. The demonstration was part of the Playa Festival that took place at Dora Municipal School on Monday.

After the presentations, the students and presenters headed to Tarver Playa to explore, search for native plants and animals and collect non-living samples for the nature journals they had carried with them throughout the day.

Victor Aceves, 9, said his favorite part was collecting a batch of sticks for fun during the field trip.

The students wrapped up their day with a post-test on what they had learned throughout the day.

"I'm biased, but I really think kids learn more and the learning lasts longer when it's done outdoors," Steiert said. "It's amazing what they remember from hands-on learning like this, and we've seen the positive effect it has on their grades in their science core classes."