Connecting kids to water and wildlife

Sometimes all it takes to open young eyes and minds is a trip outside with teachers and experienced guides. That’s the case for more than 1,000 San Joaquin Valley children who each year visit the Meyers Water Bank and Wildlife Project near Mendota.

In addition to being a working 3,000-acre ranch and a

privately owned water bank, the project provides a living laboratory for students from kindergarten through high school. The young scientists conduct field studies in the ranch’s restored wetlands—testing water quality, identifying wildlife, collecting insects, practicing mapping skills and helping maintain the private conservation area.

Stor

y by K

ate Campbell • Photos by Richard Green and Jason Dean

Fresno County farmer Marvin Meyers, with wildlife biologist Jason Dean, points out wildlife thriving in the wetlands he has developed.

SM

Reprinted from California BountifulSM magazinewww.californiabountiful.com

22 AUGUST 2012 www.californiabountiful.com 23

5 things to know about groundwaterWhat is a water bank?It’s like a bank account—put money in; take it out when it’s needed. A water bank is a way to store surface water (such as snowmelt and river water) that seeps into natural underground basins called aquifers. When this groundwater is needed, it’s pumped to the surface for use.

How is groundwater used?Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water and about 30 percent of the water used for crop irrigation in normal rainfall years.

How much is the state’s total water supply?In an average year, California’s total surface water supply is about 200 million acre-feet, with groundwater contributing about 15 million acre-feet a year to that total.

What is an acre-foot of water?It’s about the amount needed to fi ll a football fi eld with water 1 foot deep—about 325,000 gallons. The average U.S. household uses an estimated 350 gallons a day, which means an acre-foot of water supplies roughly 1,000 homes a day.

Why are wetlands important to groundwater?These marshy areas, which are home to a wide variety of species, naturally

fi lter and recharge groundwater on its path to storage. According to satellite imagery from NASA, more than 50 percent of the nation’s

wetlands have disappeared since the 1600s. The rate of loss in the U.S. has decreased in recent years due to

conservation efforts, such as the Meyers Water Bank and Wildlife Project in California.

Source: California Farm Water Coalition: The Water Fact Book

The Meyers Water Bank and Wildlife Project operates a system of pumps and pipes that bring surface water to holding ponds, where water is allowed to seep into underground aquifers for storage and later use.

Located on the Pacifi c Flyway, the water bank project attracts thousands of birds during migration season. A visit there offers students activities that are an extension of classroom activities and that meet California Academic Content Standards.

Students fi nd a living environmental laboratory at the Meyers Water Bank Project near Mendota, including a variety of species and water testing opportunities.

awareness of water resources, agriculture and wildlife for those who visit.”

The effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2007, the Meyers Water Bank and Wildlife Project (www.meyersproject.org) earned the state’s top environmen-tal leadership award for its unique ap-proach to sustainable agricultural prac-tices. Officials praised the project’s blending of three important goals: groundwater storage to provide a sus-tainable water supply for agri-cultural purposes; restoration of habitat for use by wildlife; and education out-reach to students in the community.

sight was so inspiring, Meyers said, that he wanted to share it with others, espe-cially children. He worked with county education officials and classroom teach-ers to create today’s program that’s meant to spark the wonder he’d felt.

“We found students who live nearby, with the Delta Mendota Canal flowing right through town, didn’t understand how the state’s major water projects work and the role their community plays in the state’s water-delivery system,” said Dean, a former game warden with the California Department of Fish and Game, who manages the water bank’s wildlife resources and the educational programs. “Our goal is to increase

water bank and wildlife project provides habitat for migrating waterfowl—ducks, geese and

cranes—especially in the winter. The wetland area also supports kit foxes, beavers, turtles, coyotes, rabbits, giant garter snakes and a variety of birds year-round.

Fresno County fa rmer Marvin Meyers spent about five years creating the project. He said the idea for creating a water education program on his land came during visits to the property while it was in the early stages of development.

It was spring, he recalled, and the newly established wetlands were aflutter with thousands of migrating birds. The

Once the work is done, there’s time for the students to play. They hike and learn to kayak and canoe with the help of ex-perts, including resident wildlife biologist and program manager Jason Dean, mas-ter falconer Cat Krosschel and kayaker Steve Starcher, who is director of the San Joaquin River Stewardship Program.

Located on the Pacific Flyway, the

water bank and wildlife project provides habitat for migrating waterfowl—ducks, geese and

cranes—especially in the winter. The wetland area also supports kit foxes, beavers, turtles, coyotes, rabbits, giant garter snakes and a variety of birds year-round.

Fresno County fa rmer Marvin Meyers spent about five years creating

Once the work is done, there’s time for the students to play. They hike and learn

These marshy areas, which are home to a wide variety of species, naturally fi lter and recharge groundwater on its path to storage. According to

satellite imagery from NASA, more than 50 percent of the nation’s wetlands have disappeared since the 1600s. The rate of

loss in the U.S. has decreased in recent years due to conservation efforts, such as the Meyers Water Bank

and Wildlife Project in California.

Source: California Farm Water Coalition: The Water Fact Book

tices. Officials praised the project’s blending of three important goals: groundwater storage to provide a sus-tainable water supply for agri-cultural purposes; restoration of habitat for use by wildlife; and education out-

Map and illustrations by Ernie Hergenroeder

24 AUGUST 2012 www.californiabountiful.com 25

Meyers and Dean said the project pro-vides a way to educate future California decision-makers about water and its im-portance to agriculture, as well as the need to protect natural resources. At the end of a visit to the project, students are able to follow the movement of water in California on a map. They can describe how water is imported, stored and ex-ported from the water bank and what it

means for farming. And they can ex-plain how wetlands work and why they’re important.

On a weekday morning in May, science students from

Mendota High School hopped onto buses for the short ride

to the project, which is behind a former sugar refinery and adjacent to Fresno Slough. Meyers bought the plant and sur-rounding land after it ceased operations in the late 1990s. Today, he farms olives and cattle on the land, using a combina-tion of water delivered by irrigation dis-tricts and his own banked supplies.

The students rode on a converted cot-ton wagon to the project’s interior, where Meyers has built a covered obser-vation platform and open-air classroom that overlooks one of the water bank’s holding ponds.

“Each year, the wetland evolves and changes,” said Mendota High School biology teacher Glady Ruiz, who has brought students to the project for the

past five years. “And every year, the proj-ect’s program improves.”

Ruiz’s students were among the first to explore the project, she said. What they see during a field trip now depends on whether it’s a wet or dry year. But as the wetlands have expanded, the variety and number of species in the project area have steadily increased as well.

“We have a chance to explain these natural, changing conditions to our s tudent s ,” she sa id, add ing that Mendota is an agricultural community where most adult residents work in nearby f ields. Water for irrigation means jobs in Mendota, which in re-cent years has experienced an unem-ployment rate of more than 40 percent

when water supplies have been tightest.The Meyers project does not charge

for class visits, and every effort is made to overcome obstacles to children visit-ing. If there’s no money for school buses to take students on field trips, the proj-ect helps with transportation costs. It also provides free educational materials to students and teachers that meet state curriculum standards.

Grace Reeve, who teaches chemistry at Mendota High School, said the proj-ect provides her students with field ex-perience to study things such as pH (potential hydrogen) levels in the water, as well as learn how naturally occurring chemical elements are used by aquatic species, plants and wildlife.

“Because the project is so close to the community, it’s learning science from re-sources in our own backyard,” Reeve said. “It gives the kids a real sense of pride to know this resource is here and that they can understand its importance.”

The project isn’t all science and math, however. On a sunny morning just be-fore school ended for summer vacation, the Mendota High School science stu-dents got a quick lesson on water safety and how to handle a kayak. Then they took to the water—like ducks coming home—before pausing to do a bit of cleanup so the habitat is improved for the next visitors.

“There’s an incredible amount of wildlife that has taken over the project

ported from the water bank and what it means for farming. And they can ex-

plain how wetlands work and why they’re important.

On a weekday morning in May, science students from

Mendota High School hopped onto buses for the short ride

area,” Meyers said. “I want the public to get a chance to see this. I enjoy it so much, I want to give back to society through having young people come here and learn about what we do.”

Kate Campbell

kcampbell@californiabountiful.com

area,” Meyers said. “I want the public to get a chance to see

From planting trees to fi shing discarded tires out of Fresno Slough, above, visiting students help improve wildlife habitat and clean up the environment. But a day at the project is not all work. There’s also time for fun, such as kayaking for older students, below.

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