Conservation Field Day

Three hundred students from 6 schools participated in the program that was started as an avenue to introduce students to a variety of environmental topics and to promote Oswego County’s natural resources.  Each year, all fifth grade classes in Oswego County are invited to attend, and spaces for the program are filled on a first come, first serve basis.

Each of the seventeen classes who participated in the event attended five different outdoor classroom stations.  The presenters at the stations were specialists from various environmental fields.  At each station, students spent twenty minutes listening and participating in discussions and activities.  Teachers were encouraged to follow-up on the activities when they returned to the classroom.  Some of the presentation titles were:  Backpacking, Conservation Law Enforcement, Mammals of Oswego County, Nutrient Cycling in the Environment, Some of Oswego County’s Cool Fish, and Waterfowl Nesting Boxes

Selkirk Shores State Park - September 24, 2010: Eleven year old Destin Clark (left) grins as he bears the weight of a 35 pound backpack as part of a presentation about backpacking given by Burton Phillips (right). Clark is a student in Randall Dempsey’s fifth grade at Volney Elementary School. Clark’s classmates (l to r), Ryan Yates and Kaylee Green are in the background. Phillips was one of twenty-two presenters at the annual Conservation Field Day coordinated by the Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District.