LACLEDE — Hope Elementary fifth-graders Lilly Reuter and Eloise Shelton spread the crisp white bandanas out, writing their names in a corner.

Then it was time to choose. Which animal tracks did they want stamped on the bandanas? Luckily, there was room for many of the life-size prints on the cloth.

The girls said the animal tracks station definitely made the the list of favorites at the 22nd annual Pend Oreille Water Festival Friday, but the fishery area was number one.

"I learned that one fish has a sucker mouth, but he lives (deeper), so not a lot of people catch those kind of fish," Eloise said.

Farmin-Stidwell fifth-graders also enjoyed the fishery station. Dolly Maddox said she liked touching the fish, and her classmate Hailey Frier said she liked the game they played. In the game, most of the students were the bull trout swimming upstream, and a couple of the students were fisherman. Not all of the "bull trout" made the trip upstream due to the dangers around them.

Ellie Nye, also a Farmin-Stidwell fifth-grader, said her favorite was learning about the macro-invertebrates at the water quality station.

"It was just fun to see all the different kinds of bugs ... It was all pretty cool," Ellie said.

Although many of the kids enjoyed the fishery station most, when they get into high school, they will likely remember the animal tracks the most. At least, most of the teenage volunteers who attended the festival in grade school remember the animal tracks more than the festival itself, said Sandpoint High School instructor John Hastings.

"Many of them still have the bandana, and they bring them here to wear," Hastings said.

Hastings teaches environmental science and ecology, so his students, as well as students from some of the other science classes, help out at the festival each year. He said they need a minimum of 30, and Friday there were about 40 teenagers helping out. He said they also help with some of the teaching at the water quality station.

Along with the animal tracks, fishery and water quality stations, the kids also learned about watershed, fur trapping and orienteering.

"They learn how to use a compass and track through the woods just like David Thompson did," said festival coordinator Gail Bolin from the Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District, adding Thompson was a fur trapper and map maker, so those stations gave some history of the Northwest as well.

The water festival is overseen by the Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District and is co-sponsored by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Albeni Falls Dam. The festival is supported through grants and donations.

The event took place over two days, Thursday and Friday, at the Riley Creek Recreation Area, with more than 400 area fifth-graders from 16 public and private schools participating.

"It's an educational event for fifth-graders in Bonner County, with a focus on water quality and water resources," Bolin said. "It's a hands-on way to learn ... It gives the students an opportunity to really experience nature first-hand."

Around 35 adult volunteers and specialists come from different area organizations to teach at the different stations.

"It really and truly is a community event," Bolin said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.com.