Carson City kids jump into water awareness

Carson Middle School students were immersed in water appreciation Wednesday, with the annual Project Wet event at Fuji Park.

More than 400 kids attended the event sponsored by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, a hands-on education on water resource conservation education.

They participated in seven game booths stationed throughout the park. In "The Long Haul," kids lugged 17-pound buckets filled to the brim with water in a relay race, simulating the old method of transporting water for everyday use.

"It teaches them the value of water by showing them it didn't used to be so easily available," said NDEP educator Jon Taylor. "Now you can turn on a tap and there it is. It also shows that water delivery is much more complex."

Keenan Beal, 12, characteristic of the boys in his group, splashed a path to his fellow classmate, while the girls in the race were much more meticulous with their water.

When it was boys against girls, boys won.

Students also acted as property owners with their own watershed.

Kids drew pictures of their businesses - there were many sketched Starbucks and Wal-Marts - and learned how their newly acquired property would effect the watershed.

Andy Allen of the Walker River Paiute Tribe and Marlin Thompson of the Yerington Paiute Tribe told stories and showcased artwork depicting the importance of water in tribal life and history.

"We learn from the land and plants and have a reverence for water," Thompson said. "We pray before we swim in water. Water is a gift."

The kids were mesmerized by the Paiutes' quietly delivered songs and legends of water, crowding around them to hear every word.

The stories, passed down orally, are10,000 years old.

"Everything revolves around water," Thompson said. "Hunting, fishing.... We pray for rain. We pray before we drink water."