USD 475 students learn about conservation

Fort Riley, KAN. – For Earth Day, the Fort Riley Utilities and Energy Branch, Fort Riley Directorate of Public Works, and Geary County Conservation District partnered with Geary County Schools USD 475 for educational observances. April 21, students at Morris Hill Elementary school gathered to three separate stations throughout the school. Then, April 24, Fort Riley Middle School students traveled to the water treatment plant to see the process in action.

At the on-post elementary school, students listened to special guest, Angela Beavers, Geary County Conservation District Manager, while huddling around a custom-built stream flow trailer.

“We brought out the stream-flow trailer to demonstrate the importance with the kids how to manage water quality,” Beavers said.

Hadassa Baker, an engineer with the Fort Riley Utilities and Energy Branch, presented another demonstration featuring miniature figurines as a visual. . She illustrated how electric power goes from power generation plants and transfers through the power grid to homes and schools

“We knew it was important for us to go to the school because we wanted to talk about what is needed to have clean water and electricity and what each one of us can do to take care of these resources,” Baker said.

The last station was delivered by Elijah Jackson, an engineer with the Fort Riley Utilities and Energy branch, with a visual representation of the final stages of the water filtration system. There were also many bags of different types of rocks at the desks for students to observe in groups to understand the water filtration process up-close and hands-on.

To learn more about the Environmental Division, visit https://home.army.mil/riley/index.php/about/dir-staff/dpw/env-div or the Fort Riley Environmental Office Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FortRileyEnvironmentalOffice/.