On Thursday, May 17th and Friday, May 18th beautiful weather greeted 240 fifth and sixth grade students from Juliaetta, Troy, Potlatch, Genesee, Deary, and Moscow for two fun-packed days of outdoor learning at Spring Valley Reservoir.  The 20th Annual Conservation Awareness Days, hosted by the Latah Soil and Water Conservation District (Latah SWCD), gave students a chance to learn about fish, soils, forests, macroinvertebrates, and raptors, and how to survive in the outdoors from local experts. Kids get some hands-on experience.	Dave Langill, EcoAnalysts Inc., demonstrates how to find macroinvertebrates. Marvin Pillers, Latah Search and Rescue, tells the kids to stay warm, calm, dry, and stay put.
Heather Brurud, WSU Raptor Club, shows an American Kestrel.	Some of this year's activities included: a close-up look at a Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Screech Owl and other raptors; a discussion of how the soils of the Palouse were formed;  a lesson on what to include in a survival kit; a hands-on demonstration on how to estimate the number of board feet of lumber in a tree; an inspection of equipment used to fight forest fires; playing a game that simulates what happens to salmon smolts as they migrate; and watching a dragonfly change from a larva to a flying insect. Dave Uberuaga, WSU/USDA AG Research Service, describes what happened during the great floods.
Latah SWCD employees Jennifer Farley Werlin, Ken Preston, and Patrick Adams organized this year's 2-day event.  "We are very lucky to have experts in our area willing to share their love and knowledge of our environment with our young people" said Patrick Adams.  This year's instructors included John Pfeiffer and Dave Langill from EcoAnalysts Inc. in Moscow, Robert Barkely and Garren Andrews with Idaho Department of Lands, Dave Uberuaga from WSU/USDA Ag Research Service in Pullman, Heather Brurud with WSU Raptor Club in Pullman, Marvin Pillers with Latah Search and Rescue, and Megan Johnson from Dworshak Fisheries Complex in Ahsahka.  Vaughn Silva, 18 years with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Cape Cod, also helped out with the event.	Robert Barkely, Idaho Department of Lands, showing some of the fire fighting equipment.
Dragonfly emerging from its larva.	Playing a game designed to show the hazards smolts face during migration. Contact Patrick Adams at 208-882-4960 ext. 101 padams@latahsoil.org if your 5th or 6th grade class is interested in attending next year's event or if you would like to be an instructor or volunteer.   Photos by Patrick Adams.