The
goal of the Delaware SWCD Conservation Education program is to inform and
educate landowners and landusers on how to manage the land to suit their needs
in a sustainable way. Conservation Education programs are available for
young and old, school and community, public or private. For more information, contact:
Dona Rhea, SWCD Conservation Educator
(740) 368-1921
Email: "dona-rhea @ delawareswcd.org" (remove spaces when typing address)
Delaware SWCD/Dick O'Keefe Scholarship
Applications are now being accepted for the Delaware SWCD Dick O'Keefe Memorial Scholarship. This is a $500 scholarship awarded to a qualified student graduating from high school this spring. The applicant must be a Delaware County resident, or have graduated or be graduating from a high school (public or private) located within Delaware County, have achieved at least a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale, be entering her/his freshmen year as a full-time student at a 2 or 4-year accredited college, technical school, or university, and be pursuing a degree in Agriculture.
Applications are available HERE, as well as in high school guidance offices and the Delaware SWCD office. Completed applications must be received by the SWCD office by the close of business on Friday, April 13, 2012. For more information, please contact Dona Rhea, SWCD Conservation Educator, at the SWCD office, (740) 368-1921.
Educator Workshops
School teachers and Non-formal educators can participate in these workshops. College credit is given through Ashland University. One credit hour is given for every 2 workshops attended. Workshops are offered one Saturday per month, October through March. Educator workshops train on curriculum guidebooks like Project WILD, Project WILD Aquatic, Project WET, Soils, Project Food, Land, and People, Aldo Leopold Education Project, Sustainability, Geology, and Backyard Conservation. Most workshops are held at Highbanks Metro Park. To view any scheduled workshops, click here for the registration form.
Periodically the Delaware SWCD offers a variety of single and/or series-based adult conservation workshops. Pond clinics, forestry workshops, general backyard conservation, rain gardens, rain barrels, composting, sensible landscaping, soils, container gardening, wildlife control, native plants, attracting garden pollinators, and drainage are all workshop topics the Delaware SWCD entertains. All scheduled and upsoming workshop registration can be found by checking HERE.
Natural Resources Park - Delaware County Fairgrounds
Adjacent
to the Pig & Lamb Barn, on the Delaware County Fairgrounds, is Delaware SWCD's
Conservation Area. It illustrates conservation-minded landscaping
homeowners can do in their own yards. With a water garden, edible garden,
native prairie garden, and a rain garden, it offers a host site for many
educational events. The garden gazebo and conservation education building
on the site offer shelter and shade while you stroll the walkway.
A big thank you goes to the sponsors who donated a grand total of over $100,000 for the site. The major sponsors donating $5,000 or more include:
The
SWCD provides presentations to school classes, home school, and after school,
scouts, and 4-H groups. All of the presentations have been correlated with
the current State Science Content Standard Grade Level Indicators for Earth and
Space Sciences and for Life Sciences. Topics included are ecosystems,
biodiversity and adaptations, natural resources, conservation, and human impact
on the environment. For more information, SEE HERE.
The
Envirothon is a high school environmental competition in which students compete
in teams of five, answering questions about wildlife, forestry, soils, and
aquatics. Delaware County teams compete the last week of April in the Area
competition. This competition is held in the southern/central part of Ohio
with the exact location changing each year. The top 4 teams at the Area
competition advance to the Ohio Envirothon which is held in early June.
Teams at the Ohio Envirothon compete for prize money and a trip to the
international Envirothon competition. A more detailed description of the
Envirothon can be seen
HERE.
For copies of old Envirothon tests, resource lists, study materials, field guides, Envirothon presentations, or more information on the Envirothon competition, contact Dona Rhea at the SWCD Office.
2012 Envirothon Registration Form
2012 Envirothon Medical Release Form
Join
the Stream Team and become a stream steward helping to protect our flowing
surface water resources. The general health of streams can be determined
by taking their "pulse" by using Stream Quality Monitoring (SQM) techniques to
monitor the kinds and numbers of macroinvertebrate animals which live in them.
The kinds of macroinvertebrates are used to assess the stream quality. The
data you gather will help local and state agencies decide if further
investigation of the health of our streams is necessary.
After being trained in habitat assessment, seining procedure, critter identification and recording, volunteers may adopt a section of a stream to monitor periodically using materials provided by the SWCD. SQM can be done by any small group (family, school, social, civic) that would like to participate in this program designed to develop a greater sensitivity to and stewardship of our precious stream system. Currently the Delaware SWCD works with Genoa and Orange Townships to monitor 7 selected sites.
Map of Genoa & Orange Township SQM Sites
Community Environmental Stewardship Action - Storm Drain Labeling
Many
people don't realize that what does down strom drains sometimes does not go to a
water treatment plant. Instead, it may flow directly into our stream
bypassing treatment. This direct storm sewer link between where we live,
work, and play and the stream into which it drains makes everyone in the
watershed potential contributors to water pollution.
By
labeling storm drains, you can help protect our landscapes and our waterscapes.
After training, volunteers may use materials provided by the SWCD to apply
labels to storm drains, and hang information encouraging watershed stewardship
on doorknobs.
Storm drain labeling may be done by any individual or small group (family, school, social, civic). This program, like the Stream Quality Monitoring program, is designed to help develop sesitivity to and stewardship of our soil and water resources. Currently the Delaware SWCD is labeling storm drains in the City of Powell. Contact Dona Rhea for more information.
