Education and outreach are key to teaching present and future generations about our unique resources and why it is important to conserve them. Licking Soil & Water offers many education opportunities including school- and community-based programs.
2024 Camp Canopy Scholarship
Licking Soil and Water is offering a Scholarship opportunity for one High School student in Licking County to attend Camp Canopy!
Camp Canopy is a one of a kind summer camp for students interested in forestry, wildlife, conservation, ecology, and other natural resource fields. It is a week-long, co-ed residential camp open to high school students entering their freshman year up through graduating seniors. Camp Canopy is one of the most popular summer camps in Ohio and is the only summer camp where future foresters, wildlife specialists, and conservationists can get their hands dirty and put their knowledge to the test.
Supported by the Ohio Forestry Association (OFA), the camp offers a mixture of educational sessions with traditional camp activities and adventures. All educational sessions are taught by instructors from Ohio’s top natural resource organizations and industry experts from the state’s top educational institutions. Together, the OFA and Camp Canopy provide a curriculum that gives a comprehensive overview of the forestry and wildlife disciplines through lessons that incorporate both adventure and education.
At the end of camp, campers are able to take a test to qualify for a scholarship to The Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, Hocking College’s School of Natural Resources, Zane State College, or a scholarship for the student to use at a natural resource school of their choice.
For more information on Camp Canopy or to download or submit a scholarship application, please follow the link below.
What is the Envirothon?
The Envirothon is a high school competition designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in the environment and natural resources. Students are tested on their knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and current environmental issues. In addition, the Envirothon encourages cooperative decision-making and team building. While each student on a team is challenged individually to contribute his or her personal best, the score that counts at the end of the competition is the team score. A team consists of five students, all from the same high school. An adult advisor (or advisors) must accompany the team, but is not permitted to assist the team during the competition.
High School students across the state compete on the local level at one of the five Area Envirothons. The top four teams from each Area Envirothon then go on to compete at the state competition held each year in June for the title of State Envirothon Champion. The winning team will then compete at the national competition, the NCF Envirothon, held annually in July in a different location in North America.
This year, the Tri-County Envirothon will be held on April 9th at Taft Reserve South in Licking County. This is a practice competition for high school students with middle school students welcome to join. Registration for the Tri-County Envirothon will happen the day of the event, but please let us know your intentions beforehand so that we can plan accordingly.
This year’s Area 3 Envirothon will be held on April 24th at Glenford Fort Preserve in Perry County. We are looking for Licking County high school teams interested in participating! Up to four teams per school are welcome to join. Registration for the 2024 Area 3 Envirothon is due by March 14th.
Study materials for the Envirothon competition are available from Soil & Water upon request.
If you have any questions about the Area 3 or Tri-County Envirothon, registration for either event, or would like to be sent study materials, please contact Deirdre Wise at DeirdreWise@LickingSWCD.com or 740-670-5333.
Competition Dates:
Tri-County Envirothon- April 9, 2024 at Taft Reserve in Licking County
Area 3 Envirothon- April 24, 2024 at Glenford Fort Preserve in Perry County
Ohio State Envirothon- June 3 - 5, 2024 at Hocking College
National Envirothon- July 28 - August 3, 2024 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York
School-aged Educational Programs and Teacher Resources
We offer Education Programs in the classroom or educational setting that are taught by a member of our staff. We also offer Loaner Kits that can be borrowed for use in your classroom or educational setting. Information on our Education Programs and Loaner Kits can be found by clicking the links below. All programming and kits are offered by Licking Soil & Water free of charge. For more information, please contact Licking Soil & Water at 740-670-5330.
Education Programs:
We offer Education Programs in the classroom, on your school grounds, or at a nearby park. For these programs, our Conservation Educator will come to you or a secondary location and teach the lesson to your students or group.
Loaner Kits:
Our Loaner Kits can be borrowed, upon request, for up to two weeks to fit into your lesson plans. We have tote ready kits with supplies, background notes, activities, resources, and more! The content in all Loaner Kits can be tailored to fit your age, grade, group, and standards. Choose from the list below or mix and match programs to fit your needs and time limitations.
Adult Education Workshops/Field Days
We regularly hold a variety of workshops and field days. We hope you will join us in learning more about conservation of our natural resources. To review our current scheduled workshops and field days click here.
2024 Summer Workshop Series for Educators
Soil & Water, Licking Park District, and The Dawes Arboretum have partnered to offer this series of workshops correlated to state and national education standards. The classes are offered at either Infirmary Mound Park or the Dawes Arboretum (designated for each class). Registration opens May 1, 2024 at 8:30am.
Pre-registration is required for all workshops.
Courses run 9am-3pm on the date listed below. Additional details about event time, date, and venue will be provided after registration and prior to workshop.
Cost: $10 per workshop paid prior to start date, payment options are explained in the registration process (Newark City Schools covers the cost of their participants).
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Project WET/Healthy Water, Healthy People – June 13, 2024Project WET is a water focused conservation education program for K-12 educators and their students. Topics include, physical and chemical properties of water, the water cycle, water in life systems, water in earth systems, water as a resource, managing water resources, water in social and cultural constructs. Healthy Water, Healthy People focuses on grades six through university level to raise the awareness and understanding of water quality issues and their relationship to personal, public and environmental health. Participants receive both curriculum and activity guides.
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Newark Water Infrastructure Tour - June 20, 2024Do you know how your water reaches the faucet? Or where water travels after you flush your toilet? Learn how storm water affects our watershed and what citizens, educators, and landowners can do to help. Find these answers while exploring water facilities in Newark.
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Project WILD/Aquatic WILD – June 27, 2024Project WILD is concerned with providing information as well as helping students evaluate choices and make responsible decisions about wildlife and the environment. All
curriculum materials are backed by sound educational practices and theory, and represent the work of many within the fields of education and natural resource management from across the country. Participants receive Project WILD K-12 Curriculum and Activity Guide and WILD Aquatic K-12 Curriculum and Activity Guide, which focuses on aquatic wildlife and ecosystems. Eligible for WILD School Site grants upon certification. -
Project Learning Tree – July 11, 2024Through the use of over 50 hands-on activities, Project Learning Tree (PLT) covers topics in both the natural and built environments –forests, wildlife, water, air, energy, waste, climate change, invasive species, community planning, and culture. The guide uses the forest as a ‘window’ into the natural world, helping young people gain an awareness and knowledge of the world around them. PLT can be used to teach language arts, social studies, nutrition, mathematics, visual arts, and more. Secondary modules are available on various related topics.
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Environmental Education for Early Childhood – July 18, 2024The most recent addition to Project WILD is Growing Up WILD, an activity guide for educators that aims to connect young children with nature and the outdoors. Project Learning Tree offers Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood. Project WET launched Getting Little Feet WET. Participants receive all 3 early childhood education guides to help facilitate interactive, hands-on learning for PreK-2nd grade.
Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) Ohio Approved. -
Citizen Science - July 25, 2024Citizen Science workshop will offer ways to experience project-based learning that is accessible in any setting, outdoors, or classroom. This fun and interactive workshop covers a variety of topics like ant investigations, micro hike with macro lenses, and nature journals. We will use the scientific method, critical thinking, technology, and our senses to connect ways to bring the classroom into nature. Citizen Science enables all of us to collectively manage the health and well-being of ourselves and our planet.
