Conservation field day a great success – FingerLakes1.com Archive

On June 3rd, Schuyler County 6th Grade students were shuttled to Hidden Valley Group Camp in Watkins Glen to participate in a day of hands-on outdoor learning fun. The event was organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation District. The goal of the program was to encourage students to appreciate and protect our natural environment as well as expose them to professionals in various environmental careers. Presenters were asked to design a 20 minute activity which they repeated for each of the eight groups of students. Presenters at this years Field Day included Museum of the Earth, Finger Lakes National Forest, Wagner Lumber, Upper Susquehanna Coalition, Professional Trapper, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Soil and Water. Topics ranged from water bugs, tree identification and wetlands to global warming and energy conservation. Cooperative Extension sponsored a “Lunch Waste Contest” and encouraged each class to practice reducing-reusing-recycling when packing their lunch. The class with the least amount of waste from each school was chosen as the winner and received educational materials on recycling and composting. Congratulations to Angela Cartwright’s class from Odessa Montour and Mr. Webster’s class from Watkins Glen!