Cloud County Conservation District
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CLOUD COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT  - EDUCATION
GO WITH THE FLOW

What happens to a river or stream when it experiences a drought? What happens in the event of significant rainfall event or a flood? The answers to those questions and more were answered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Apolonio Miranda and Steve Nelson, during the Streambank Trailer Demonstrations conducted Tuesday and Wednesday for the Concordia Elementary School’s Fourth Grade Class. For those of you who have never witnessed the streambank trailer in action, this is how it works: the 4’ x 8’ trailer is filled with “soil” that is arranged in a meandering stream. As the water is turned on and enters the stream, different processes occur, depending upon the volume of water moving through the stream channel.

In a very short period of time, audiences can observe normal and extreme stream processes and the effects of riparian vegetation, channel straightening, and natural and human impacts on watersheds. “What-if” scenarios provide quick and dramatic illustrations of the long-term effects of various practices.

The Stream Model Trailer demonstrates the energy and impact of surface water flow, and how changes upstream affect the watercourse and streambanks downstream. Topics addressed include:

•Stream Dynamics
•Streambank Erosion & Stabilization
•Channelization
•Sedimentation

The importance of streambank protection through well maintained riparian areas and their impact on water quality is also demonstrated.

The children were then presented with a slide show of a real life situation demonstrating the dynamic nature of streams and how one area farmer was actually losing his land to the river as it eroded away. The demonstration focused on a streambank stabilization project started in 2006 and how that project looks today.  
Before being released back to the bus, the classes were given a treat, a pencil and a brochure which covered the glossary terms they had learned and information on a Wildflower Contest being conducted by the Cloud County Conservation District.
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UPCOMING EVENTS

CLOUD COUNTY FAIR
The Cloud County Conservation District set up the Soil Tunnel Trailer at the 2024 Cloud County Fair.  The Commercial Building was the setting of the Commercial Exhibits and the West End of the building was dedicated to the Conservation District.  we had a bean bag toss game and gave away prizes, we had Daisy the Cow and the Sunflower field available for pictures and five gallon buckets of seed for the kids to feel and look at.  The District provided coloring pictures, book markers, free pens and pencils and an opportunity to "Guess the Kisses" for a jar full of Hershey's Kisses.  The Booth ran Tuesday thru Saturday and was enjoyed by all.