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03/20/00 12:48 ti'970 330 4546 eeweD Iai 003/007 . about our complicated system of water law, water delivery systems and water management. To do this, effective water education programs need to be accessible to residents across the state. F,"'Tly :&.ttAnlptA "-'t W"-'t,"'T F.dllt'!"-'ticn Cities, water conservancy districts, universities, and state agencies have tried many approaches to water education in Colorado. The Denver Water Board and the Aurora Water Department were two of the first organizations to get involved in water cOnservation education. Bus tours, classroom presentations, newsletters, ,and other media approaches have been used successfully for years. However, a unique effort at the 1990 Colorado State Fair marked the first effort to organize a coordinated, state-wide effort on water education. The Colorado Department of Natural Resources, along with cities, water conservancy districts, and others filled a State Fair Exhibit Hall with water history, groundwater models, river basin maps, conservation tips, and wildlife displays. Thousands of people walked through the bu~lding during the fair, and the reSponse was excellent. However, a survey at the fair showed an alarming lack of general water knowledge of our citizens. . ~hilnrpn'R W~~p.r FA~~~val~ In 1991, the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District held the first Children's Water Festival in Colorado. (The concept of water festivals was developed by the Nebraska Groundwater Foundation in 1989.) Central's festival was held at Aims Community College in Greeley, and approximately 1,500 fourth and fifth graders (with their teachers and parents) attended the one- day event. Invitations were mailed on January 2M, and by January 9th the 1,500 student capacity was reached. Nearly 1,000 additional students had to be turned away the first year. Approximately 30 different water-related classroom activities were held at the water festival. Schools received pre-arranged schedules, and moved from one presentation to another at 20 minute intervals. Presentations included water history, water law, water art, water music, water and dance, and included titles like "Water Pioneers", and "Hydrologist for a Day". Kids and adults learned about water use in agriculture, how to protect water quality, and how to allocate water during a drought. They also wrote news articles, stood inside giant bubbles, panned for gold, and watched water organisms move under a microscope. . Many other groups have sponsored children's water festivals in -