2008 Policy Book Now Available

 Planning, conducting and promoting conservation education programs for people of all ages.

The responsibilities of the Education Committee are to:

• Plan and recommend programs for conservation and environmental science education activities and present them to the Association for consideration

• Conduct Association approved educational activities

• Develop policy on conservation and environmental education issues for consideration by the Association

• Encourage, promote, and conduct all contests and awards of the Association

• Develop or revise all contest and award criteria and present recommendations to the Association for consideration

• Hold meetings before and during the annual meeting of the Association

2008 Committee Members

• Johanna Wood (Johnston), Chair

• Richard Hayes (Chatham), Vice-Chair

• Lea-Ann Branch (Burke), Recorder

Resource Contacts

• Steve Bennett         Division of Soil and Water Conservation

• Bridget Munger       Division of Soil and Water Conservation

• Andy Smith              USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Linda Hash             NC District Employees' Association

Action Items 

 1.             The Education Committee recommends to the Association that efforts be continued to improve the web site to provide information on educational programs and guidelines.  2008

Policies & Positions 

1.            The Association actively supports programs of career education in environmental and conservation sciences, management, and technology throughout the state. 2003 

2.            The Association encourages all local Districts to participate in the following educational activities:

a.      assist schools in developing projects on and off campus.

 b.      obtain a conservation plan on all school grounds and recognize these schools for installing this plan.

 c.      distribute Soil and Water Conservation materials in schools. 

d.      support 4-H Environmental Quality Demonstration Contests, FFA Land Judging Contests, the Forestry Contest, and any other conservation education activities.

 e.      support Soil and Water Stewardship Week.  Districts will be responsible for copying and distributing available materials. 

f.        support the Resource Conservation Workshop by sponsoring a student representative. 2007 

3.            The Association supports and endorses Food, Land & People, Project Learning Tree, N.C. Wild, Project Catch, Project WET and Ag in the Classroom as additional conservation education programs for Districts. 2003

4.      The Association supports implementation of a comprehensive natural resource program to be used for teacher renewal credit workshops offered by Districts along with the Mathematics and Science Education Centers/Office of Special Programs within the University of North Carolina (UNC) System.  This program would be based on a need to offer natural resource education material that can supplement the existing curriculum in grades K-12. 2003 

5.            The Association supports the Area and State Envirothon competition for grades 5-8 and 9-12 and encourages all Soil and Water Conservation Districts in North Carolina to sponsor at least one team from their District to the Envirothon competition.  2003 

6.            The Association will provide $300 cash award and up to $150 travel allowance to the Conservation Teacher of the Year to attend the state association annual meeting awards banquet. 2003    

7.            The Association encourages each District to include all children in their educational programs. 2003  

8.            The Association strongly encourages each of the Association’s eight areas continue to sponsor a Resource Conservation Workshop counselor on an annual basis by covering their registration fee, meal costs and mileage as applicable.  In addition, the Association encourages each area to give their respective counselor a stipend after he/she has completed the one-week of service at the workshop.  The suggested amount of the one-week stipend is $100.00 per counselor per week. 2003  

9.            The Association requests that each District, by the last day of February, appoint one person to act as an Education Coordinator.  By March 7 each District should send the name of its Education Coordinator to the Division, Chief of District Programs.  Upon receipt, a list will be sent to the Education Committee Chairperson. 2003  

10.        The Education Committee Chairperson and the Area Coordinators are encouraged to develop a list of resource materials applicable to assigned topics for poster, essay and public speaking contests.  To the extent feasible, this list should be available by May 1 each new school year and will be provided to each Area of the Association. 2003  

11.        The North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts provide a display in the educational section at the North Carolina State Fair promoting the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of North Carolina.  2008   

12.        The NC Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts do hereby proclaim April as Environmental Awareness Month in North Carolina and that the Governor of North Carolina adopt this proclamation. 2003 

13.        The NC Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts supports the growth of the River Friendly Farm Program and the distribution of information about it to the districts.  2005 

14.        The Area I Association will be allowed to draw $250.00 from the NC Association of Soil & Water Conservation District’s State Fair budget for the Mountain State Fair.  A representative from the Mountain State Fair shall be appointed to the State Fair Committee.  Also, all handouts and other materials for the Mountain State Fair shall be ordered with the material for the North Carolina State Fair.  2008