Serrano Intermediate School student Ben Zolner was honored by the IRWD Board of Directors at their October 14 meeting for his winning Water Awareness poster.

Ben’s poster was among hundreds submitted from all over Southern California to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s annual Water Awareness Poster contest in 2012. His poster was published in the 2013 Water Awareness calendar.

Ben was a fifth grade student at Lake Forest Elementary when his poster was selected by IRWD as one of five finalists to be sent to MWD for regional judging. IRWD received more than 200 entries. Ben’s poster depicted four ways to conserve water – take five-minute showers, fix leaky faucet, install an artificial lawn and water landscaping at night.

All 36 posters chosen by MWD were published on the 2013 “Water is Life” Calendar. Ben’s appears on the November page.

Ben is now in seventh grade and plays la cross for Serrano. He is also branching out his artistic talents into filming and multi-media.

MWD has held the contest for the past 25 years. Member water agencies, including IRWD, put out the call for poster contest entries from among the schools in their respective service areas.

In January, the 36 framed posters began their journey in a traveling art show set up in the lobbies of participating water districts. IRWD hosted the art show in April. Please visit www.irwd.com for information on our water education programs.

When was the last time you visited the Irvine Ranch Water District’s San Joaquin Marsh? There is no better time than the present to visit this best kept secret in Irvine.

The Marsh is a reconstructed wetlands designed to clean urban runoff from San Diego Creek before it reaches environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay. Besides enhancing water quality, the Marsh provides a home to some 230 species of birds and other wildlife in a park-like setting.

Additionally, the Marsh contains 12 miles of meandering hiking trails on 320 acres and is open 365 days a year, dawn to dusk. Best of all, the Marsh is free.

Visitors are encourages to bring binoculars for bird watching. But there are other animals that might be seen, such as bobcats, rabbits, squirrels, field mice and rats. The small rodent population is kept in check by the predatory animals and birds of prey.

The Marsh is located off Campus Drive near University Drive, on Riparian View. Follow Riparian View to the end of the pavement and into the parking lot.

For more information on the Marsh, please visit our website.

Irvine Ranch Water District is holding a blood drive on October 16 and the public is invited to participate.

The drive is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the District’s headquarters, 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine.

Please contact Veronica Robles at (949) 453-5436 to schedule an appointment, which are available every 20 minutes. Reservations are on a first come, first served basis. Walk ins are also welcome.

IRWD has hosted blood drives for more than 20 years. In addition to the Red Cross, UCI Medical Center has also been a partner.

Some advice before donating:

• Hydrate – be sure to drink plenty of fluids on the day of your donation.
• Wear something comfortable. Wear clothing with sleeves that can easily be rolled up above the elbow.
• Maintain a healthy level of iron in your diet before donating. If possible, include iron-rich foods in your diet, especially in the days before your donation.
• Bring a list of the medications you are taking, whether they are prescription or over the counter.
• Bring your identification. This may either be a donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of identification.

More information is available on the Red Cross website.

The annual Residential Demonstration Landscape Open House and Vendor Fair is set for Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine. The facility is located at 7601 Irvine Boulevard. This is the fifth consecutive year that UC Extension and Irvine Ranch Water District cooperated on this event.

Included in the daylong event are guided garden walks, discussions about gardening and irrigation practices, and plant sales. Fifty percent of all household water use is in the yard, so residents can find out how to cut back on watering and save money.

There is no charge for admission to this event. Here is a sampling of what customers can expect at the Open House:

• A discussion about edible landscaping
• Home ant control, easy as 1,2,3
• Irrigation product information
• A demonstration on self-watering vegetable garden containers
• Composting – learn how to turn yard waste into black gold
• Children’s activity – planting seeds
• Sample varieties of fruit grown at the South Coast Research and Extension Center
• Free tool sharpening by OC Blacksmiths
• Random opportunities throughout the day

Visit the South Coast Research and Extension Center website, or contact Tammy Majcherek at (949) 733-3970 for more information.