Pickaway Soil & Water Conservation District offers conservation education programs.  Programs offered consist of Experience Earth Day Camp, Soil & Water Stewardship Field Days, Envirothon Contests and Teacher Workshops.  We also offer Poster Contests, 4-H Awards, and a lending library.

4th Grade Ag Day

2012 Ag Day - September 14, 2012 @ Ohio Christian University

Attendance - 800 Pickaway County 4th graders

Photograph Page

Experience Earth Day Camp ** SEE ANNOUNCEMENT **

"Experience Earth" is a Day Camp for children who have completed 3rd or 4th grade.  It takes place in July! A small fee is charged.

Campers must live in Pickaway County or attend school in a Pickaway County School District and must have completed 3rd or 4th grade to attend Experience Earth Day Camp.

2013 ANNOUNCEMENT - POSTPONED UNTIL 2014

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

Volunteers are needed for various tasks such as group leaders, assisting presenters, serving lunches, set-up, tear-down, and more. Relatives and friends of campers are invited to participate as a volunteer. Volunteers must be 14 years old. Volunteers receive free lunch, camp t-shirt, and transportation (if available). Help is also needed prior to camp to prepare craft materials, name tags, etc. If interested, contact Pickaway SWCD @ 477-1693.

Soil & Water Stewardship Field Days

"Field Days" are outdoor programs held at elementary schools or local parks.  The students rotate to a number of different stations with presenters from agencies like Soil & Water; Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Divisions of Forestry, Natural Areas and Preserves, Wildlife, Geology, Recycling; Metro Parks and others. The theme follows the current Soil & Water Stewardship Theme.

To schedule a Field Day contact Karen @ 477-1693 or email karen-halley@pickawayswcd.org by January.

2013 Theme: Where Does Your Water Shed?

2013 Field Days: April 26 - New Hope; May 2 - Crossroads; May 7 - Saltcreek Elementary; May 9 - Atwater Elementary; May 15 Westfall 5th Grade; May 16 - Pickaway Elementary; May 21 - Walnut Elementary; May 22 - Ashville Elementary

Soil & Water Stewardship Poster Contest

Pickaway SWCD sponsors a Poster Contest for 4th-6th Graders & 7th-9th Graders attending school in Pickaway County. Prizes are awarded to the 1st & 2nd place posters in each category. Additional Honorable Mention ribbons are presented. One Poster is selected to be displayed on a Billboard during the month of May. To introduce students to the theme, Pickaway SWCD offers educational resource materials.

For more information click on the Links below.

2013 Contest Announcement to Teachers and Principals

2013 Flier for WHERE DOES YOUR WATER SHED? Poster Contest

2013 Entry Forms (2 per sheet)

Interested in Sponsoring the Poster Contest Billboard? Click here for details.

Billboards (Began in 2007)

Michael Cline 2011 Jackie Richardson 2012

  Michael Cline 2009 Chloe Sollars 2010

Lindsey Shaffer 2007  Alina Hamner 2008

2013 Winners

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place -Rhianna Lucas, McDowell BILLBOARD

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place - Erica Dale, Saltcreek  BILLBOARD

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - Jessica Willard, McDowell

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Sophia Evans, Walnut

2012 Winners

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place -Jackie Richardson, McDowell BILLBOARD

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place - Mayci Marshall, Washington FIRST PLACE IN STATE

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - Andrew Sowers, McDowell

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Arianna Fink, Washington

2011 Winners:

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place - Michael Cline, McDowell BILLBOARD

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place - Tabitha Pontious, Washington 

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - Lora Overholt, Teays Valley East Middle School

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Jenna Reeser, Washington 

2010 Winners:

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place - Chloe Sollars, McDowell BILLBOARD & FIRST PLACE IN STATE

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place- Nicki Franks, Washington

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - Kaitlin Willard, McDowell 

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Jacob Ruby, Walnut 

2009 Winners:

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place - Chris Cline, McDowell 

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place - Michael Cline, Washington BILLBOARD

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - Katie Mallow, Circleville

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Samantha Roberts, Walnut

2008 Winners:

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place - Alina Hamner, McDowell BILLBOARD

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place - Tyler Reeser, Washington

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - Leanna Calton, McDowell

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Adam Agosta, Washington

2007 Winners:

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place - Lindsey Shaffer, McDowell BILLBOARD

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place - Jessy Thomas, Saltcreek

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - TIE - Heidi Seckman, McDowell & Kendall Henson, Circleville

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Tiffany Bond, Saltcreek

2006 Winners:

7th-9th Graders - 1st Place - Megan Rainey, McDowell

4th-6th Graders - 1st Place - Chris Cline, Washington

7th-9th Graders - 2nd Place - Maryane Kimbler, McDowell

4th-6th Graders - 2nd Place - Jessica Delong, Laurelville

Workshops

"Workshops" can be provided for teachers who are interested in Project Food, Land & People, Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Learning Tree.

Project FLP is a collection of lesson plans and activities that focus on America's capacity to feed its citizens and others around the world.

Project WET is a collection of classroom-ready teaching aids that promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources.

Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife.

Project Learning Tree:, Through hands-on, interdisciplinary activities, PLT provides students, in grades PreK-12, with opportunities to investigate environmental issues and encourages them to make informed, responsible decisions.

4-H Natural Resources Awards

Pickaway SWCD is a sponsor of the Pickaway County 4-H Program.

Pickaway SWCD presents 2 Overall Natural Resources 4-H Project awards during the Pickaway County Fair. 1st place receives a certificate and a Gold Medal. 2nd place receives a certificate and a Silver Medal. To find out which 4-H projects qualify, contact the Pickaway County Extension Office at 740-474-7534.

Winners of these awards give a short speech at the Pickaway SWCD Annual Meeting.

Envirothon

Pickaway SWCD sponsors the Pickaway County Envirothon Teams. The Envirothon is a competitive, outdoor academic team event for high school students. Teams consist of 5 students, all from the same high school. The Envirothon tests students' knowledge of soils and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and current environmental issues. Envirothon teams from Pickaway County participate in the Area 5 competition which consists of approximately 70 teams. Teams placing in the top four at the Area contests advance to the Ohio Envirothon. Twenty teams compete at the State contest for a chance to advance to the Canon Envirothon. Visit the Canon Envirothon website at www.envirothon.org.

Area 5 Envirothon 2013

Hosted by Athens &  SWCDs.

Location: Strouds Run State Park

Date: April 30, 2013

Registration Form; Release Form; Program/Rules

Resource Lists for Aquatics; Soils; Forestry; Wildlife

Current Environmental Issue: Sustainable Rangeland Management - Click here for study materials: http://www.envirothon.org/current-competition/254.html

Ohio Envirothon 2013

Hosted by Area 4 SWCDs

Location: Deer Creek State Park

Date: June 9-11, 2013

pickaway swcd art contest WINNER

Lori Roberts

Soil & Water Conservation - 

Keeping Ohio's Land Productive & Water Clean

by: Lori Roberts

Click on the following link to go to the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts' web site where you can see art work from the other Ohio counties.

http://www.ohiodnr.com/H_Nav2/OFFICESSWCDS/default/tabid/9093/Default.aspx

Lending Library

LINKS

SOIL

Background Information on Soils:

http://youtu.be/i5S88OKrEQU - "Secrets in the Soil" you tube video

http://forces.si.edu/soils/

http://www.soils.org

http://soils.usda.gov/education/

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/worms/index.html

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zdmain.html

http://www.wtamu.edu/~crobinson/DrDirt.htm

WATERSHED

http://www.adopt-a-watershed.org

GEOLOGY

Photos of Concretions in Deer Creek, south of Williamsport, Ohio. Click on a picture to enlarge then use the back button to return. Photos provided by C. Randall Metzger, Pickaway SWCD Supervisor.

Stages Pond in Pickaway County (kettle lake)