Botelle students joined with other elementary school students from Barkhamsted, Colebrook and Hartland to converge on the Riverton Fairgrounds Wednesday morning for River Day. During the morning, the children were divided by grade to explore different aspects of aquatic life.
The lower grades grabbed magnifying glasses and peered into trays of algae-laden water, using spoons to push the plants aside to reveal insects and larvae; they learned about fly-fishing, and heard about water safety and siltation. They petted a K9 conservation dog named Callie, trained to sniff out poachers as well as fish and bears, and visited a beaver dam.
Third graders went to Peoples Forest where they learned about the indigenous people who once lived there; fourth graders went to the Metropolitan District Commission dam in Colebrook; fifth graders visited the DEEP Fishing Trailer and the river gauge station, while sixth graders learned about waterpower and early American industry by hiking along behind the Hitchcock Chair factory.
The day ended with lunch, field games and ice cream before the children boarded buses at 1:00 p.m.