Program of Activities
1. Insectopia
Water health can be determined by the particular kinds of aquatic insects
living in it. Do you know if that river, lake or pond is polluted or pristine
(unspoiled)? By identifying the aquatic insects, students will be able to
determine water quality.
City of Albuquerque /Open Space Division. Presented by Bonnie Dils, Phone 505-452-5205, E-mail: bdils@cabq.gov
2. Meet Aquatic Bugs
Students will observe live arthropods commonly found in local ponds and
rivers and determine the purity of the water and how the health of their
populations is a reflection of the health of the watershed and fish populations
New Mexico Game & Fish Department. Presented by Steve Sanders, Phone 505-476-8119, E-mail: cewelch@state.nm.us
3. Water and Life
Students will examine a wide variety of prehistoric and
historic water related items. They will try to guess what the items are and what
their uses or benefits were. Help or hints, as necessary, will be provided by
the instructors.
City of Albuquerque/Public Works/Water Resources. Presented by Larry Marken & Margie Monarez, Phone 505-768-3603, E-mail: lmarken@cabq.gov
4. Edible Aquifer
Students make an aquifer model from edible ingredients and learn about
hydrogeology, pollution and pumping.
Albuquerque Academy Environment Club. Presented by Karen Temple Beamish & Students, Phone 505-858-8873, E-mail: beamish@aa.edu
5. Water Olympics
Students put water to the test! Though a series of experiments they
demonstrate that water is no ordinary liquid!
Albuquerque Academy Environment Club. Presented by Karen Temple Beamish & Students, Phone 505-858-8873, E-mail: beamish@aa.edu
6. Drink the Rio Grande!
Students will learn how to build a filter and treat river water to make it usable in our homes.
City of Albuquerque/Public Works/Water Resources. Presented by Roberta Haynes-Sparks, Kevin Bean, Donna Martinez & Paul Dombach, Phone 505-768-3645, E-mail: rhsparks@cabq.gov
7. The BioPark’s BioVan: Home Sweet Home
Students observe five mini-ecosystems along the Rio Grande, Gulf Coast, and
Atlantic Ocean, and the living organisms that call each one home. The BioVan
exhibits live plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and
mammals.
City of Albuquerque/BioPark’s Rio Grande Zoo, Albuquerque Aquarium and Rio Grande Botanic Garden.
Presented by Alyson Wallace, Phone 505-764-6242, E-mail: azahm@cabq.gov
8. The Rolling River
How does the river work? Students will see a model river and watch the
effects of water as it flows down stream.
Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District & NM Office of State
Engineer/Water Conservation.
Presented by Susan Rich & Cheri Vogel, Phone 505-761-5446, E-mail: susan.rich@nm.usda.gov
9. Every Drop Counts
Students will learn how the aquifer was formed by building one of their own.
They will learn about the various uses for water and why it is so important for
everyone to conserve.
Intel Corporation. Presented by Andrew Moen, Phone 505-893-8784, E-mail: andrew.d.moen@intel.com
10. Water Jeopardy
Students compete to give questions for the water answers (like the TV show).
Highland High School. Presented by Gale Borkenhagen & Students, Phone 505-265-3711 x1048, E-mail: gborken@swcp.com
11. Remember, It’s a Desert
Students will learn about saving water outdoors using water conserving
landscaping and irrigation strategies. Irrigation methods such as drip,
sprinkler and hand watering will be compared and discussed so participants can
discover for themselves which method can most effectively and efficiently
provide necessary water to different landscape plantings.
Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service. Presented by Rick Daniell & Elliot Sachse, Phone 505-243-1386, E-mail: rdaniell@nmsu.edu
12. Mission Impossible
The students’ mission, if they choose to accept it, is to rescue
Albuquerque from water shortages that could occur in the next 10 years. Students
play an interactive game and make decisions about how to manage available water
resources.
Sandia National Laboratories/Geohydrology Department. Presented by Vincent Tidwell, Steve Conrad & Dick Thomas, Phone 505-844-6025, E-mail: vctidwe@sandia.gov
13. From the Mountains to Us
Students will learn about watersheds by making watershed models out of
everyday items. They will add blue and yellow paint to different parts of their
watersheds, spray the watersheds with "rain", and see for themselves
how watersheds can influence water quality in rivers.
NM Environment Dept., Surface Water Quality Bureau. Presented by Abe Franklin & Stephanie Stringer, Phone 505-827-0418, E-mail: stephanie_stringer@nmenv.state.nm.us
14. Sum of Its Parts Garden
Students learn that everyone contributes to the pollution of the Rio Grande
as it flows through it's watershed from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico. Students
will determine how their riverfront property might be affecting the water
quality of the river and how everyones contribution can be reduced.
US Bureau of Reclamation. Presented by Anne Janik, Phone 505-248-5902, E-mail: AJanik@uc.usbr.gov
15. El Rover’s Watershed Adventures
Students learn about our precious water resources and how to adopt water-wise
lifestyles from El Rover and his amigos.
Highland High School & US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6,
Water Quality Protection Division.
Presented by Gale Borkenhagen & Students & Amadee Madril, Phone
214-665-2767, E-mail: madril.amadee@epa.gov
16. It’s my Aquifer!
Students learn about the water cycle underground - the aquifer, groundwater
recharge, how contamination can move into groundwater, the effects of water well
pumping in an aquifer, and why it’s so important to conserve water.
New Mexico Environment Dept. Ground Water Quality Bureau. Presented by Pam Homer & Kevin Myers; Mary Heather Noble & Miriam Rotkin-Ellman (Fri.), Phone 505-827-2782, E-mail: mary_heather@nmenv.state.nm.us
17. Swimmin’ in the Rio Grande
Students play a game to learn about the exciting life of a Rio Grande
Cutthroat Trout, New Mexico’s state fish and a native.
US Forest Service. Presented by Katrina Lund, Phone 505-829-3535, E-mail: klund@fs.fed.us
18. Weather or Not
Students analyze meteorlogical and hydrological data to determine if a flash
flood might occur, issue warnings and monitor the flood event.
National Weather Service. Presented by Deirdre Kann, Kerry Jones & Ed Polasko, Phone 505-243-0702, E-mail: deirdre.kann@noaa.gov
19. Acequias!
Students will learn that technology and tradition work together by viewing
"Acequias!" an oral history video written and produced, narrated and
edited by a group of Albuquerque elementary school students. These students, now
16 - 18 years old, will lead a discussion about traditional water use in New
Mexico.
Amigos Bravos: Friends of the Wild Rivers. Presented by Cynthia Gomez & Margarita Ortega y Gomez, Phone 505-924-2223, E-mail: cgomez@amigosbravos.org
20. Who’s Got the Water?
Students demonstrate that our water must be shared among many users. They
negotiate water sharing agreements when it’s a dry year and discover what
might happen if they cannot agree!
State Bar of New Mexico & City of Albuquerque/Public Works/Water Resources. Presented by Steve Meilleur & Elaine Hebard (Thurs.), Susan Kelly & Marianne Woodard (Fri.), Phone 505-797-6060, E-mail: smeilleur@nmbar.org
21. Our Cottonwood Forest
Students learn about the Bosque ecosystem of cottonwoods and willows along the Rio Grande.
Bosque School. Presented by Dan Shaw & students, Phone 505-401-4226, E-mail: dshaw@bosqueschool.org
22. Once Upon H2O
Students learn through stories that water has so many uses and why people of
every culture through the ages tell stories to teach respect for the importance
of water and its life supporting qualities.
Susi Wolf, Storyteller. Phone 505-881-1220
Water Wizard who 'knows all there is to know about H20'.
PNM Environmental Services Dept. Presented by Jean Arya, Phone 505-241-4954, E-mail: jarya@pnm.com
