EID, Green Valley Elementary School, and the American River Conservancy team up for success “We are also pleased that ACWA recognized this program as one of only six in the state to earn finalist positions for the Clair Hill award,” he added. ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 440 members are responsible for about 90 percent of all water delivered in California. Project summary

The Bass Lake tanks kids’ planting project began with introduction of the American River Conservancy’s environmental education curriculum, called Nature Exploring for Students and Teachers (NEST), at Green Valley Elementary School. Through the NEST program, the children arrived at the Bass Lake tanks site well prepared for the culmination of the entire project—the planting of native plants on the hillside near Bass Lake in the western portion of El Dorado County where two four-million-gallon 

EID News

Placerville, CA . . . Creating a lasting legacy on a hilltop in El Dorado County—that’s what happened when El Dorado Irrigation District (EID), Green Valley Elementary School, and the American River Conservancy joined in the Bass Lake tanks kids’ planting project. This cooperative effort won a finalist position for the statewide Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence, which is given once a year by the California Association of Water Agencies (ACWA) for water agency projects that demonstrate a commitment to leadership, environmental education, and innovation. “I salute our staff, the school, and the Conservancy for their outstanding work,” said EID Board President Bill George. “The kids’ planting project clearly shows that community partnerships have very positive and longlasting results.”

EID’s booth at the ACWA spring conference featured photos, a video, native plants, and “how to” instructions related to the kids’ planting project. drinking water storage tanks are located. The plantings enhance the oak woodland purchased and preserved by the District as part of the tank construction project.

In mid-winter of 2006 and 2007, approximately 600 students from the school participated in interactive sessions at several learning stations on the Bass Lake site. The stations focused on the importance and mechanisms of the hydrological cycle, historical and cultural uses of water, how water is treated for human use, and water conservation. The children also read from their own reports and journals to explain what they had found and learned in their school yard as part of the NEST curriculum. Each group spent part of the time digging to the appropriate depth for the hundreds of native seedlings and small plants that went into the ground. As the final step, they watered the new plantings.

In the end, the students at Green Valley Elementary School had an opportunity over the course of the project to work side-by-side with their classmates and teachers—and new-found friends from EID and the American River Conservancy.

* * * * * For more information, contact Deanne Kloepfer at 530-642-4073

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