City of Hays
On April 4, the ninth annual KSU Watersheds and city of Hays water poster contest winners were announced. The 2023 theme was “Use Your Water Smarts.”
A total of 629 posters was entered pre-school through community-adult from 30 teachers and classrooms. This year's number of entries was more than double the previous high number of posters.
The awards celebration was held at Sternberg Museum of Natural History with students, teachers and family members present.
Hays Mayor Mason Ruder, along with fellow Hays commissioners Shaun Musil, Sandy Jacobs, Reese Barrick and Alaina Cunningham, congratulated each winner along with WaterSmart Wally, Hays water resources mascot, and Chetolah, Hays stormwater dog mascot.
Holly Dickman, Hays Water Conservation Specialist, Jeff Crispin, Hays Director of Water Resources, Joe Billinger, Hays Stormwater Superintendent, and Stacie Minson, KSU Big Creek Middle Smoky Hill River Watershed Specialist, helped with the awards ceremony.
“Artists really stepped up their game this year to showcase and share water messages," Minson said. "One message that really stands out in my mind is “Use Your Water Smarts … Let Your Dog Start” showing a dog licking a bowl to get it clean to conserve water.
"We really look forward to judging the entries every year and then getting to highlight the community’s water messages.”
"It’s always amazing to see the creativity and it is great to know that the messages we are sharing while educating kids and the public are being heard," Dickman said. "The evidence is in the posters.”
The “Use Your Water Smarts” posters focused on water conservation or stormwater/water quality messages. Posters showed how to reduce water usage indoors, outdoors, and/or at home and work. Also, posters shared how to reduce sediment, nutrients, and e.coli bacteria, household chemicals, etc. that are harmful to water sources.
Winning posters will be displayed at Tri-Central Office Supply, 1101 Main, during the month of May and at the Ellis County Fair in July.
To learn more about water conservation and stormwater/water quality for poster ideas, visit www.watersmarthays.com or www.MyKansasWatershed.com (special events tab).
For questions, call Minson at 785-769-3297 or Dickman at 785-628-7350.