LACLEDE — Students from across Bonner County converged on the Riley Creek Recreation Area for a day of laughter, education and new experiences at the 30th annual Pend Oreille Water Festival. 

The two-day extravaganza brings fifth grade students outside for hands-on learning about the water and forest that surrounds the region. From fish to fur trapping to bugs in the water, students dove headfirst into a crash course about the environment around them. 

“We had beautiful weather, some years we haven't, but this year was just great,” Gail Bolin, coordinator for the Pend Oreille Water Festival, said. “The kids were good; the instructors were good. I think everything went really well.” 

Throughout the day, students visit five interactive stations, each touching on a different aspect of the outdoors experience. At the fisheries station, Idaho Fish and Game fisheries resource officer Dakotah Smith walked students through the types of fish in Idaho waterways and which they can and can’t keep when they fish. 

After Smith was done with his presentation, the curious students were able to touch a bull trout. The water quality tents, where students comb through tubs of pond water to identify the friendly creatures that call it home, are another hit with the attendees.  

Bolin said these five stations have remained fairly solidified since the event’s inception in 1996. While she wasn’t the initial creator of the stations, Bolin said they haven’t changed because they connect with students. 

“I walk around, visit all the stations, and I enjoy all of them,” Bolin said.  

The event is hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and supported by Avista and the Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District. Bolin said that USACE has been a massive help in putting on the event at the recreation area. 

“The Army Corps has been a partner or sponsor of this event for a long time,” Bolin said. "We really appreciate their help, their use of the grounds, their rangers helping with crowd control, directing the kids and parking the cars.” 

Bolin has been at the helm of the festival since 2012, guiding it through the transition of being run by the Tri-States Water Quality Council to the Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District. She said that after 14 years, she’s retiring from running the festival to move closer to family, which made the event’s 30th anniversary bittersweet for her. 

A board member from the Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District presented Bolin with a plaque to thank her for all she’s done for the students. Though she’s leaving, Bolin said she’s sure the event will continue for years to come with a new person at the helm. 

“The excitement of the kids and the parents, the ones who come as chaperones, they're just really thrilled to be there with their children,” Bolin said about what she enjoys about the festival. “I can't even name all the things that I remember, but yes, lots of good memories.” 

    Students answer questions at the Pend Oreille Water Festival's water quality tents about the little creatures in Idaho ponds.
  

    A student from Sagle Elementary examines some pond water underneath a plastic microscope at the Pend Oreille Water Festival.