The Conservation Station is coming to the Washington County Fair July 22

Water Rocks! presents the Conservation Station?a mobile learning center that educates audiences of all ages about the importance of healthy soil and clean water. It will be stopping at the Washington County Fair on Wednesday, July 22,  from 3 to 7 p.m.

Visitors to the Conservation Station can learn how everyone can do their part to help preserve and protect soil and water ? essential natural resources. The free, fun, hands-on activities and demonstrations for kids and adults teach about watersheds and the effects of rainfall on the land. A popular activity is the ?Poo Toss? where participants try to throw rubber doggy poo into wastebaskets for prizes and learn why picking up animal waste is a good thing.

The Conservation Station?s rainfall simulator offers a strong visual of how land management choices affect soil and water. The rainfall simulator demonstrates the effects of rainfall on different surfaces in agricultural and urban environments. Water runoff and subsurface drainage are collected in clear jars to show what is coming off the various soil surface types including tilled soil, cover crops, green roofs and pervious pavement.

Since 2010, the Conservation Station has traveled to every county in Iowa for community festivals, county fairs, field days, farmers markets, and school visits. Visit the Water Rocks! Web site to see the schedule of Conservation Station appearances and to request a visit for an event: www.waterrocks.org.

Water Rocks! is a statewide youth water education campaign that uses a variety of resources to bring awareness and appreciation of water. Through classroom visits, an interactive Web site, an award-winning computer game, songs, music videos, dogs, enhanced learning activities, teacher/peer mentor workshops and geocaching, Water Rocks! offers an original, light-hearted approach to water issues.

For more information, visit www.waterrocks.org.