Conservation poster winners named

Once again Lincoln County students have produced winning posters for the National Association of Conservation District?s Conservation Poster contest sponsored locally by the Lincoln County Conservation District.

Last spring, students from all the elementary schools in the county were instructed in this year?s theme, ?Where does your water shed?? by Hayley Gloeckner of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. The students? posters illustrated important facts about watersheds, such as they exist right here where we live, a watershed connects people to the ocean, groundwater exists underneath us and we can pollute it if we dump things like oil down a storm drain. The first place winner showed cupped hands holding water like a target with a drop of water descending to it. Each of us hold the care of watersheds in our hands and it is a target we should all aim toward.

Winners were for kindergarten and first grade were first place, Kaitlyn West of Caliente; second place Myla Walch of Pahranagat Valley; and third place Colton Harding of Caliente.

Second to third grade winners were first place Harlie Malloy of Pioche; second place Jaren Leavitt of Pahranagat Valley; third place Ivan Vicencio of Pahranagat Valley; and honorable mention Loni Phillips of Pioche.

Fourth through sixth grade winners were first place Hope Holloway of Pahranagat Valley; second place Tristan Perkins of Pahranagat Valley; third place Tayt Leavitt of Pahranagat Valley; and honorable mentions Ashton Miller of Panaca, Nicole Gutierrez of Pahranagat Valley and Drew Cole of Pioche.

First place winners will compete at the state conference of Nevada Association of Conservation Districts in Elko in November and any winners there will continue on to the National contest.? Maybe Lincoln County will have another National winner as we did last year when Matthew Hafen of Panaca won an Honorable Mention! Lincoln County winners receive $25 for first place, $20 for second, $15 for third and $10 for an honorable mention.

Conservation districts are local units of government established under state law to carry out incentive-driven natural resource management programs and education at the local level. They were established during the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s to help local people care for their soils and other resources on their lands and in their towns. They are still working today to bring good conservation to the lands of Lincoln County and throughout the United States.