5th Grade Students Attend 30th Elkhorn H2O Daze in Norfolk

NORFOLK – Over 500 fifth graders from a four-county area will attend the 30th Elkhorn H2O Daze at the Lifelong Learning Center on the campus of Northeast Community College in Norfolk this week.  The water festival is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 19th & 20th.  Eight schools are participating in the program from Antelope, Madison, Pierce, and Stanton counties.

"The students who attend Elkhorn H2O Daze have the opportunity to get involved in a variety of hands-on activities designed to promote awareness, knowledge and stewardship of our natural resources, especially water," said Julie Wragge, Education Coordinator, for the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD).  “Over the past 30 years we have been able to reach approximately 15,000 youth, educating them about the importance of protecting and conserving our natural resources.”

Each student will attend five "aquativities" at the event. Participants will build their own edible aquifer, launch water rockets, learn about the importance of soil and trees, and join in many other hands-on activities about water conservation.

The schools attending this year are: Battle Creek, Madison, Osmond, Sacred Heart - Norfolk, St. Mary’s – Osmond, Stanton, Zion – Pierce, and the Norfolk Middle School.

Elkhorn H2O Daze is patterned after the Children's Groundwater Festival, the elementary water festival held each year in Grand Island, NE.  There are now 5 water festivals across the LENRD to further educate students about water, soil, and wildlife.

Elkhorn H2O Daze is sponsored by the LENRD.  Presenters for the festival come from various agencies, including: the LENRD, the University of Nebraska Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Keep Norfolk Beautiful, Norfolk FFA Chapter, Bazile Groundwater Management Area, Nebraska Forest Service, and the Fremont Department of Utilities.