Education

Water Celebration is an educational experience designed to help fifth-grade students discover the importance of water and the role it plays in our everyday lives, communities and environment. The event connects students with the natural resources around them and encourages them to think about how water is used, protected and conserved for the future.

Students participate in engaging, interactive activities and learning stations led by professionals who help bring these topics to life. The event provides students with an opportunity to learn about the importance of water and natural resources through hands-on experiences that are both educational and fun.

The Nemaha Natural Resources District is working toward bringing Water Celebration back in March 2027. The event was previously held each spring before being paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information about Water Celebration, please contact the Nemaha NRD office at (402) 335-3325 or email Maddie Million at mmillion@nemahanrd.org.

In even‑numbered years, the Nemaha Natural Resources District hosts Watershed of Wonders, a free youth day camp for children ages 10–12 at one of our public recreation areas. First launched in 2002, the camp rotates among Kirkman's Cove, Iron Horse Trail Lake, and Duck Creek Recreation Area.

Up to 100 participants enjoy a day packed with hands‑on learning focused on natural resources and outdoor recreation. Activities may include archery, fishing, water rockets, boat safety and rides, and other interactive experiences designed to inspire curiosity, teamwork, and a love of the outdoors.

Since 1989, the Nemaha NRD’s Plant-A-Tree program has helped spark a love for trees and conservation by giving more than 20,000 seedlings to third‑grade students throughout the district. Each spring, NNRD staff visit classrooms to deliver the trees and lead a brief, age‑appropriate lesson about the tree species, proper planting, and long‑term care. Every student gets to take a seedling home, encouraging hands‑on learning and a lasting connection to the environment.

This competition tests teams of five high schoolers in seven categories: soils, wildlife, range, forestry, aquatics, policy, and one national subject which changes each year. Regional contests take place from January-March across the state; winners advance to the State contest in late April at locations that change each year. The lucky State winner represents Nebraska at the national contest later that summer. The regional contest for schools in the Nemaha NRD is in Beatrice in March.

Nebraska Envirothon

Each fall, high school FFA students across Nebraska are invited to participate in Land Judging contests. Land Judging is a competition that challenges students to better understand soil structure, land capability and proper land management practices. Students learn to recognize physical features of soil, determine its suitability for crop production and evaluate management practices needed for proper stewardship.

Land and soil evaluation provides students with an opportunity to investigate the soils in their region, the environment around them and how soil affects their daily lives. Soil is one of our most important natural resources, supporting the crops we grow for food and fiber while also playing an important role in water quality, groundwater and erosion control. Through Land Judging, students gain hands-on experience understanding and evaluating this valuable resource.

The Nemaha NRD hosts a regional Land Judging contest for high school FFA students in Southeast Nebraska. The Nemaha NRD and Lower Big Blue NRD take turns hosting the regional contest every other year. Students who qualify at the regional contest may advance to the state Land Judging contest.

For more information on Nebraska Land Judging Contests, visit the Nebraska Land Judging & Soil Evaluation page.