• The Kiowa Conservation District had its annual meeting and
    dinner Jan. 28 in Kiowa. A capacity crowd of 150 enjoyed a
    complimentary beef dinner, prepared by the Kiowa Ladies Aid, and an
    evening of conservation information and awards.
  • Various awards were presented after a brief business meeting.
    The sixth-grade poster contest winners from Suni Olkjer’s science
    class at Kiowa Middle School were: first, Breanna O’Donnell;
    second, Tess Allen; third, Alicia Neighbors; fourth, Manuel Pulido;
    fifth, Dana Howerton; and sixth, Kyle Prario.
  • From Kathy Lewis’s science class at Elizabeth Middle School,
    the winners were: first, Sierra Stein; second, McKenzie Whittle;
    third, Ethan Mosier; fourth, Faith Simon; fifth, Tanya Short;
    sixth, Meghan McManners; and honorable mention, Jordan Byrd and
    Hannah Borntrager.
  • The Abbott Ranch, Jane Abbott, and Cevey and Ashley Pennington
    were honored as the 2008 Conservationists of the Year for their
    continued conservation efforts and outstanding achievements.
  • A special award, the Conservation Heritage Award, was presented
    to Ted and Dale Smith who have been putting conservation on the
    ground for more than 60 years, building terraces, diversions, and
    watershed dams among other projects.
  • Dennis Smart was recognized as the 2008 Conservation Volunteer
    of the Year for his key role in the inspection of 43 watershed dams
    in the district logging 112 volunteer hours in 2008.
  • Following the awards presentations, Linda Pollick of the
    Natural Resources Conservation Service, was the featured speaker.
    She gave an engaging presentation titled, Kiowa Creek Watershed
    Project; Past, Present and Future. This covered the importance of
    the watershed dams, why and how they were built, their status, and
    the importance of their continued funding and upkeep. For
    information, contact the Kiowa Conservation District at
    303-621-2070 ext 101.