Playa Festival Comes to Panhandle

At a playa lake about one mile west of Panhandle, Texas, Jim Steiert shows children from Panhandle different plant life located in the playa lakes.

On October 3^rd, the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District partnered with Ogallala Commons to bring a Playa Festival to Panhandle.  Over eighty students from Claude, Groom and Panhandle met at the Carson County War Memorial Building and the Carson County Square House Museum’s Hazelwood Building to learn more about playa lakes and water conservation. 

Viola Moore, Director of the Square House Museum, kicked off the day with a presentation on the historical connection between people and water in the Texas Panhandle.  Ogallala Commons Director Darryl Birkenfeld followed up with an overview on playas in the High Plains while Jim Steiert, author of Playas:  Jewels of the Plains, taught students how to keep a nature journal.  Classes then rotated between presentations on Playa Lake Buffers and Waterfowl; Playa Plants and Soils; and Water Conservation.

The weather cooperated beautifully and the afternoon was spent exploring an incredible playa located one mile outside of Panhandle.  Jim and Darryl navigated groups of explorers over the playa which was covered with an abundance of barnyard grass, pink smartweed and annual aster.  Digging into the deep crevices in the topsoil left by the summer’s drought, Jim exposed a layer of damp Randall clay beneath and students were encouraged to get hands-on and document the bounty of their discoveries in their nature journals.  In addition to being a lot of fun, the Festival covers content that will appear on the STAAR test.

 The Playa Festival was made possible by co-sponsors Xcel Energy Foundation and the Dixon Water Foundation.  A special thanks goes to Judge Lewis Powers, Julie Smith, Billy Bob Brown and the staff of the Carson County Square House Museum.