RCD Day on the Creek offers fun and education for young students
- ROBERTA LYONS
- Posted On
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Resource Conservation District, or LCRCD, held its annual “Field Day on the Creek,” on Earth Day, April 22, giving scores of young Middletown and Cobb area students the opportunity to enjoy hands-on nature experiences.
Students learned about local birds and their feeding behaviors, native trees to Lake County, fish that live in Putah Creek, and the unique geology of this area.
A highlight of the day was the discovery of a Lamprey, caught in Putah Creek by California Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Ben Ewing. He demonstrated how CDFW sends a mild current of electricity into the water in order to bring the fish to the surface. Other fish observed included suckers, minnows and sculpens.
Students had a good time testing the fire hose, courtesy of U.S. Forest Service personnel and also learned about the quagga mussel and why it is a concern from the Water Resources Department – County of Lake.
The Resource Conservation District has held a Day on the Creek for almost 20 years. Students attend from Coyote Valley, Minnie Cannon, and Cobb elementary schools along with teachers and parent volunteers.
Also participating in this year’s event were the Redbud Audubon Society, geologist Dean Enderlin, Forest Service Hydrologist Hilda Kwan, the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance, or TERA, and LCRCD board members, who encouraged citizen science.
The Lake County Resource Conservation District is a non-regulatory special district of the State of California formed to promote conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
It is a descendent of the Soil Conservation Districts that were founded in 1937 in response to the Dust Bowl crisis.
Your local RCD is involved with promoting locally-led programs aimed at conservation of natural resources and agriculture and also provides technical assistance to local landowners to support their conservation efforts through a variety of grant programs.