Silver State Charter School Shines!

Students from Silver State Charter High School worked with River Wranglers this past school year and did a great job teaching younger children about the Carson River watershed. In the fall, the students worked with Sutro Elementary School and taught activities about the water cycle, aquatic insects, water quality, and animals in the watershed. Science coordinator, Lynn Stephenson, works with the students one-on-one, helping them prepare to teach. The result of their team effort is wonderful and the elementary kids learn so much. Thanks to Lynn and the Silver State High School teens for a great 2008-09 school year!

Meet Cora, the Comstock Worker

President Obama awarded stimulus money to states to help with our crumbling economy. The Community Chest in Virginia City wrote a grant for $100,000 to put kids on the Comstock and surrounding area to work for the summer. Teens were nominated by school counselors to work for 15 hours and 5 hours of community service each week. The teens were placed throughout communities in Lyon and Storey counties to work. River Wranglers is lucky to have Cora, a teen from Dayton High School.

During her work this summer, Cora is blogging about what she does, what she learns and how this work experience is affecting her. She is posting weekly, or more frequently if she gets the writing urge, so be sure to keep up with Cora Belle updates.

River Wranglers thank the Community Chest and Healthy Communities Coalition for this great work project!

Catching up on the past year!

The impetus for this blog was the Patagonia Voice Your Choice program and when that ended I deflated like a balloon and haven't posted since. Now that we are looking at a great summer with our Comstock worker, Cora, I am excited about catching you up on the past year and moving forward with summer 2009.

Congratulations to Great Basin Water Network as the community choice to receive the Patagonia grant for $4000. They will do a great job using the money to affect decisions about water transfers from northern to southern Nevada.

We finished 2008 with Conserve Carson River Work Days in Carson and Dayton Valleys. Students from Douglas, Dayton, Silver State Charter School, and Silver Stage High Schools did a great job working with elementary kids from Minden, Gardnerville, CC Meneley, Dayton, Hugh Gallagher, Sutro, Riverview and Silver Springs elementary schools. Nearly 500 students worked along the banks of the Carson River, protecting habitat and learning about the watershed.