This year was an exciting one, like most. That being said, it seemed that youth education was one of the top priorities for the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) in Northeast Indiana. I was fortunate enough to assist several districts in their youth education events, and I wanted to highlight the events in Adams, Wabash and Steuben Counties. Each county has similar programs, but each with its own individual flair. They all have the same objective, which is to teach our youth about the wonderful world of conservation.
The first event that I was able
to assist with was in Adams County. I
was asked to teach 6th graders on the importance of water
conservation though an activity called “common water” as outlined in the
Project Wet manual. The day was warm, so
the kids did not mind getting wet at all.
The event featured rotating stations displaying GPS systems, beef
calves, soils, pollinators and worms. This education event was done at the two
middle schools in Adams County over the course of two days. There were several volunteers on hand to help
with the event including, Purdue Extension, Natural Resource Conservation Service
(NRCS), Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the SWCD’s board of supervisors,
and even a local forester. It was a lot
of fun and a very rewarding day. In
total, we reached over 400 kids.
 |
| Bellmont J.H. - Listening to Sill Sarfi |
The
second event was in Steuben County, at Pokagon State Park in Angola. All of the 4th graders from their
county attended this event, which meant that I would be assisting over 300
kids. It was a little intense at first,
but they were all wonderful kids. For
this event, the kids rotated between stations and heard lessons on wildlife,
soil, forestry, fish management, 4H natural resources and water/water safety. At the end of the day, all the kids were given
a shirt that was designed by one of the students. The kids had to do a pre-test before the
event and then did a post-test following.
Upon reviewing them, those kids did learn a lot. The neat part was watching the kids asking
questions and being actively engaged.
They were learning and having fun at the same time, it was so wonderful
to see.
 |
| 4th Graders Arriving at Pokagon Park |
The last youth education event I
assisted with this year was for 4th graders at Wabash County’s annual
Ag Expo. It was similar to the other two
events, but the stations were different.
For their event, there were topics on ATV safety, dairy cows, water erosion
(shown by a stream table), birds of prey, pollinators and shearing of sheep and
alpacas. I assisted with the stream
table where the kids learned about the effects of erosion and pollution by
watching running water start at the top of the table and work its way
down. The kids could see the effect of
the water. At one point, one of the fake
cows that was standing at the top an embankment fell into the stream due to the
erosion of the bank. This got a good
laugh from the kids, but also allowed for a teachable moment. Not only was it entertaining, but they also
learned that we need to take care of our soil.
 |
| The Stream Table |
I really enjoyed spending time
with the youth in those counties. Having
the kids outside the classroom to learn about conservation and to meet people in
the field that assist farmers and also protect our natural resources was really
beneficial. At all three events, the
kids got something out of each session, and in some cases even mentioned that
they were going to share what they had learned with their family. For me, personally, it was the “common water”
session that hit home for the students.
Kid after kid talked about rain barrels and how they wanted one for
their house. For them to take away at
least one thing that they learned to share with their parents is a wonderful
thing. While they might not be current
land owners, they will be one day and one of these events can help them in
understanding the importance and responsibility of taking care of our soil and
water. That is a wonderful thing.
