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Conservation District
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Snyder County
Conservation District |
Education & Youth
The Snyder County Conservation District is continually involved in environmental education and conservation promotion of Snyder County residents of all ages. Listed below are some of the programs and events the Conservation District has either sponsored or worked with others recently.
Information about the Envirothon has been moved to it's own web page within our web site. Click here to reach the new web page.
The Snyder County Conservation District offers scholarships to local high school students interested in conservation. Contact the Conservation District for more information.
The Conservation District staff presented fourteen 1-hour presentations over a 2 day period in October 2009 for fifth grade students at Camp Mount Luther, west of Mifflinburg, PA. The outdoor education program was part of the Midd-West School District’s conservation field day for their 5th grade students. Each student had the opportunity to make his/her own soil profile tube. Staff members also demonstrated water quality and land use issues with the students.
The Conservation District has given presentations in schools and to school age groups over the years. For example:
Richfield Cub Scouts were given seed packets and given a demonstration with the Enviroscape(R). in March 2009. Other Boy Scout groups had heard presentations regarding water and soils in the past.
Several presentations were given by SCCD staff members during the West Snyder Middle School's Conservation Day activities for 7th and 8th graders related to soils, water and watersheds in 2009. A separate water presentation was given to West Snyder 5th graders almost every year since 2001.
In the recent past, Future Hope Homelearners and Selinsgrove Area High School agriculture students received training on how to use USDA county soil surveys in preparation to the Susquehanna Valley Envirothon.
In May and April 2010, two SCCD staff members helped teach how composting works by leaving a worm composter with Perry-West Perry second graders. For more details, go to our Conservation Snapshots web page for more details.
Every year, the Snyder County Conservation District honors Snyder County FFA members who participate in three SUN Area FFA contests. FFA members from Midd-West and Selinsgrove Chapters compete in SUN Area contests against other FFA members from Northumberland and Union Counties.
Traditionally, the Conservation District presents the top three Snyder County FFA members in each contest with a check and a certificate in the following contests: conservation public speaking, forestry and land judging. The conservation public speaking contest was held on March 2009, while the forestry and land judging contests were held on October 2009. Awards and certificates were given during the Annual Awards Banquet on Friday, March 12, 2010.
2009 Snyder County FFA Conservation Award Winners
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Place within
County |
Conservation Public
Speaking |
Land
Judging |
Forestry |
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1st |
Kaydee Gearhart,
Midd-West |
Wyatt Ebright,
Midd-West |
Ben Richmond,
Selinsgrove |
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2nd |
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Kolby Kessler,
Selinsgrove |
Cody Arnold,
Selinsgrove |
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3rd |
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Mike Hollenbach,
Selinsgrove |
Zach Ettinger,
Midd-West |
On April 18, 2009, the Conservation District participated in the Go Green Expo at the Susquehanna Valley Mall in Hummels Wharf, PA. Many children visited the Conservation District's "Soil Tunnel." The "Soil Tunnel" teaches the basics about soil and importance of our soils while crawling "under the soil surface" in a "tunnel."
Local residents of all ages also had the chance to take home free packets of native PA wildflower seeds.
Soil Tunnel
The Snyder County Conservation District debuted its "Soil Tunnel" at the Kid's Grove Fall Festival held in Selinsgrove on Saturday, October 11, 2008. An estimated 300 children visited the "Soil Tunnel" and took home a bulb to plant. The "Soil Tunnel" teaches the basics and importance of our soils while crawling "under the soil surface" in a "tunnel" made by the Conservation District.
Much of the materials were donated by local businesses. Thank you local businesses!
Check out the pictures below. For more information, contact our Watershed Specialist, Jason Winey, at 570-837-3000, x112.
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Above: Outside view of the "Soil Tunnel." Below: Inside the "Soil Tunnel." |
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Above: Renee Swineford, Administrative Assistant, talks to two children inside the "Soil Tunnel." Below: Children and parents crawl out of the "Soil Tunnel" with Jason Winey, Watershed Specialist. |
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Below: After visiting the "Soil Tunnel," Jason Winey and Rachel Naylor, Nutrient Management Technician, help children place a bulb and a potting soil mixture inside a biodegradable paper bag. The kids can take the bulb home and plant it. |
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AG-SCItement Day
The Snyder County Conservation District was one of several organizations that held demonstrations at the 2009 AG-SCItement Day event sponsored by the Snyder County 4-H and Penn State Cooperative Extension. It was held on August 13, 2009, at the Beaver Community Fairgrounds in Beaver Springs, PA.
The Conservation District had three of the eight "hands-on" demonstrations that related to agriculture, the environment and safety to thirty youth and children. They were:
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The Enviroscape (R): A miniature watershed model in which participants "pollute" the water and see the effects on everyone. Different types of point source and non-point source pollution are also demonstrated.
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The Soil Tunnel: An interactive tunnel in which participants crawl inside the "soil" and learn what makes up soil, what lives in soil, how soils are made and what foods grow in the soil.
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The Energy Bike: A new "hands & feet" demonstration that literally shows the "rider" how much "muscle power" it takes to light a light bulb. It also shows the importance of conserving energy and turning off lights and appliances when not in use.
Students from Mr. Kurt Sprenkel's 6th grade science classes participated in a Snyder County Conservation District and National Association of Conservation District (NACD) sponsored poster contest. This year’s theme was “Conservation Habits = Healthy Habits.”
The Snyder County Conservation District Board and staff in June 1, 2010, judged posters during its regularly scheduled meeting.
First, second and third place winners were awarded $30.00, $20.00 and $10.00 respectively. Jack Ponchak placed first, Brent Blair placed second and Makenzi Kauffman placed third. Congratulations.
The conservation district will send Jack's first place poster to the state contest in July during the PA Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) meeting.
Pictures of the top poster can be found on our Conservation Snapshots web page.
The Conservation District hopes to have additional students participate in the future. For more information, go to the NACD website or contact Jason Winey, Watershed Specialist, at 570-837-3000, x112.
Fun Downloads
The Lower Penns Creek Watershed Association (LPCWA), along with SCCD Watershed Specialist Jason Winey, created a kid's activity sheet for the Spring of 2010. Download this sheet by clicking here.
For more information about LPCWA, you can: 1.) Go to the association's website, 2.) Go to our Watershed Protection web page, or 3.) Contact Jason Winey at 570-837-3000, x112.
Note: If you cannot download any of these files, please contact the Conservation District.
Other Notes
If your school wishes to have the Conservation District speak about water quality, soil erosion prevention, etc., please contact the Conservation District at 570-837-3000, x110. We have given presentations to home school students, agriculture students in the Selinsgrove Area High School, boy scouts and other students in the Middleburg and West Snyder Middle Schools.
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{Snyder County Conservation District}
Conservation through Education
Snyder County Conservation District
10541 Route 522
Middleburg, PA 17842
Phone: 570-837-3000
FAX: 570-837-7300
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Content Last Modified on 6/29/2010 10:03:30 AM
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