This past Monday, our new cohort of High School River Rangers had their first teaching day! A class of 5th grades came to Overland Pond Park, and River Rangers taught activities about water testing, beaver adaptations, pollution in the city, and rafting. Then, in the afternoon, we all got our feet wet as we looked for critters in the pond! Our ten River Rangers are all juniors at KIPP Denver Collegiate High School, and this teaching day is just the start of a year-long internship that includes four excursion teaching days, as well as a teaching day at Holiday Camp, and the potential for employment at our Summer Camps! River Rangers develop leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills that serve as powerful tools for their future. This program is designed for high school students to explore possibilities in environmental fields through hands-on teaching experience, increased environmental literacy, and adventuring outside.
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Devon Buckels and Lauren Berent were able to attend The Sustaining Watersheds Conference in Avon last week! The Water Connection and The Greenway Foundation was one of the sponsors, and we were so happy to be able to participate in such a great learning experience with water professionals from both sides of the continental divide.
Devon attended the entire conference and acted as an ambassador for The Water Connection and The Greenway Foundation. She sat in on seminars and panel discussions on topics ranging from collaborative watershed management, implementation of the Colorado State Water Plan, and even riparian restoration! Devon put faces to organizations and strengthened relationships with existing partners to help further The Water Connection's efforts here in Denver! Lauren attended a ThinkWater Workshop on the first day of the conference, where the concept of systems thinking was applied to environmental and water education. It was exceptionally useful to view our education program participants as part of an existing system who already have a mental map of the world around them. Lauren can’t wait to use what she learned in SPREE’s upcoming programs. Fish On!FAMILIES EXPLORE THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF FISHING Thank you to all of the families who joined us Saturday October 8th, 2016 at Overland Pond Park. It was a fantastic day of crafts, games, and catching fish! Families learned the basics of casting and fishing ethics-- and a few kids even caught their first fish! Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) partnered with TGF and were the fishing experts for the day. From baiting the hooks to releasing the fish, this event would not happen without their support and their amazing teaching staff! Thank yous also go out to EarthForce and Denver Parks and Recreation for coming out and making Family Fishing Day so much fun! Check out all the pictures from the event on our Facebook page! Missed the fishing event? There is still room at our last SPREE event of the year- Pioneering on the Platte. Come learn about the historic role of the South Platte River on Saturday, November 5th at Johnson Habitat Park from 11 am - 2 pm. Dress like a Pioneer, make Native American-inspired crafts, and pan for gold! Click here to learn more! THANK YOU TO NOBLE ENERGY FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS EVENT!
Denver Parks and Recreation Receives
2016 WateReuse Customer of the Year Award Annual Award recognizes superior leadership in the field of water reclamation DENVER, Sep. 28, 2016 – Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) was chosen by the WateReuse Association for the 2016 WateReuse Customer of the Year Award - Irrigation. The WateReuse Association recognized DPR’s extraordinary leadership in water reuse during the 31st Annual WateReuse Awards and Symposium. The WateReuse Customer of the Year award honors DPR for advancing the acceptance of water reuse through innovative marketing, unique applications of reclaimed water and demonstration of how recycled water benefits the public and its business services. DPR was recognized for extraordinary vision and unwavering support in utilizing recycled water, recognizing the importance of recycled water and its role in building an adequate water supply for the future. In 2016, DPR and Denver Water continued a cooperative partnership in recycled water management by forming a collaborative group to evaluate and determine testing needed, explore mitigation strategies and evaluate best management practices. The Recycled Water Management Advisory Committee was convened with the specific purpose of exploring soil and plant health issues related to recycled water and providing feedback for the long term management strategy for the recycled water program in Denver Parks. The committee is comprised of representatives from Denver Water, DPR and external stakeholders representing neighborhoods with parks served by recycled water. For more than a decade, DPR has utilized recycled water as a sustainable, low-cost irrigation resource in urban parks. Each year, over 314 million of gallons of recycled water are delivered to 34 parks, plus the City Park Golf Course, totaling 979 acres of DPR’s 3,000 acres of irrigated parks. This saves potable water for appropriate uses such as human consumption and household use. In partnership with Denver Water and community partners, DPR will continues to assess the use of recycled water, evaluate various irrigation methods and water management practices. About Denver Parks and Recreation Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) facilities are unrivaled in the Rocky Mountain West. The DPR system spans over a 148-year history, from the first park created in 1868 to nearly 20,000 acres of urban parks and mountain parkland today. For more information, visit www.denvergov.org/parksandrecreation, check us out on YouTube, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. The Game Plan The DPR Game Plan is a community driven initiative the will define the next 15-20 years of investment and priorities for parks and recreation resources. Your input can help define new parks and recreation centers, relevant programs, and how existing assets are maintained and enhanced in the face of financial constraints, climate change, shifting demographics and increased visitor usage. Share Your Voice here. For more information, visit www.denvergov.org/denveright. |
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