“Kidcaster” Chosen to Spread the Word About Conservation

 

Annaliese

If you have young children, you may have already heard the District’s fresh perspective on water resources issues.

Annaliese Delgado is the District’s “kidcaster” on Radio Disney. She is featured in 60-second water education reports on topics like conservation, sustainability and Florida-friendly landscaping. The reports will air three times a day each weekend through January 1, 2006.

“Using a kidcaster to report on our area’s water resources will help kids understand how these issues can impact their lives,” said Beth Bartos, the District’s communications manager. “We hope they also learn some ways they personally can protect our valuable water resources.”

Children ages 8 to 14 were invited to participate. More than a dozen fresh young faces auditioned for the position.

“Some of the qualities we judge kidcasters on are whether they can project, do they have a clear voice and do they know correct pronunciation,” said Jennifer Monda, a kidcaster for 9 months who was given the tough task of judging the contestants.

While all the future stars lit up the microphone, one shone brighter than the rest — 13-year-old Annaliese Delgado of St. Petersburg.

“I want to be a broadcaster when I grow up so I thought this would be good experience,” said Delgado. “I think I will learn a lot about radio and about water conservation.”

The kidcaster auditions were part of the District “Make a Splash” event, which was held at The Pier in St. Petersburg in conjunction with the grand opening of The Pier Aquarium’s new Water Walk Exhibit.

This colorful outdoor educational display leads visitors along the walkway to The Pier. Contributions from the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board, The Pier Aquarium and the Pinellas County Environmental Fund made the exhibit possible.

“The District is committed to water resources education and projects like this,” said Watson Haynes II, Governing Board member and co-chair of the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board.

“When it comes to water conservation, education is a critical tool that is proven to work,” said Todd Pressman, Governing Board member and co-chair of the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board. “This project is part of that effort.”

In addition to the ribbon cutting and auditions, there were several interactive educational activities visitors could participate in, including a water trivia contest for free giveaways, groundwater and watershed model demonstrations, water-wise landscaping information for adults and marine life exhibits from The Pier Aquarium and the United States Geological Survey. America’s Clean Water Foundation also had a representative there talking to attendees about World Water Monitoring Day.