McKean County Conservation District - Education

One of the primary commitments of the District is provide continuing environmental education to the residents of McKean County. Whether it be to school groups, civic groups, other government agencies, or just interested citizens, it is our goal as the leader on the front lines of environmental and conservation issues to provide accurate and the most comprehensive information. We do this by pooling our resources. With the help of professionals from the Department of Conservation of Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Department of Environmental Protection, Penn State Cooperative Extension and many other groups dedicated to the same goal, we seek to inform citizens. Our hope is to create a public pride for the natural resources around us, and in doing so promote good conservation practices.

Arbor Day Event

2009 Envirothon

Unwanted Collection Event


Envirothon

The Envirothon is a program designed to cultivate a desire to learn more about our natural environment through competitive events. For over 20 years, high schools in Pennsylvania have been recognizing the value of the Envirothon experience. Starting at the local level, students prepare for the Envirothon competition by researching, studying and familiarizing themselves with five main topic areas including; soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics and a current event that changes from year to year. Many students meet through out the year to study these topics and then compete at a local competition. Top scoring teams from each county then move on to the state Envirothon competition where they go up against the top teams from each county in the state. The team that finishes in the top position at states, continues on to the Canon International Envirothon.

The goal of the Envirothon is not only to teach environmental facts and realities, but also to instill an understanding of the ecological and community factors that are involved in environmental decisions and actions. With society facing a number of pressing environmental management issues in areas such as water quality, ecosystems, solid waste and land use, it’s important to show tomorrow’s leaders the positive and negative effects that individual actions have on the natural environment. Understanding the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources, realizing environmental interactions and interdependencies, and knowing where to turn for facts concerning environmental matters are all part of the Envirothon experience. Thousands of students have met the challenge and are becoming more environmentally aware, action-oriented adults.

The Conservation District staff provides assistance to the Envirothon teams through educational programs dealing with the five core subject areas. Staff members work with students in the Envirothon Club on a weekly basis.

For more information, visit the PA State Envirothon web site at http://www.envirothonpa.org/.