ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Education

One of the goals of the District is to educate students about the environment and assist individuals in making wise resource decisions.  This is accomplished through environmental education and outreach programs at public events, festivals, fairs, and on an as requested basis.

Three major environmental education programs are coordinated by the District each year. 

Plant-A-Tree

The District and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County 4-H Program have partnered since 1992 to provide an excellent opportunity for Oswego County youth in grades Pre-K through five.  The program offers tree seedlings and educational materials to students and is designed to help them become environmental stewards. It also celebrates Earth Day on April 22nd and Arbor Day on the last Friday in April.

  • Since 1992, over 140,000 tree seedlings have been distributed!

  • 2024 – 36th Annual Plant-a-Tree Program

  • Distribution dates: April 15 & 16

  • Participants: 6,500 students, 19 schools

  • Sponsors: Constellation, Oswego County Federation of Sportsmen’s Club

Environmental Education

2024 Oswego County Envirothon Champions - Oswego High School

ENVIROTHON

The Oswego County Envirothon began in 1991 and is an outdoor environmental competition for high school students held annually on the first Thursday in May.  The students work in teams of five against teams from other County high schools.  They take five hands-on exams in the subject areas of aquatics, current issues, forestry, soils, and wildlife and they also complete a verbal presentation.  Hands-on means that students actually study soils in a pit, measure trees, identify animals by their skulls and fur, and many other activities.  The verbal presentation scenario is distributed to each team several weeks before the competition and they submit a digital video response to be reviewed and scored by a panel of natural resource professionals.  The combined scores of the five exams and the verbal presentation determine the winner.  The winner of the Oswego County Envirothon advances to the two-day New York State Envirothon in late May, and the winner of that event goes on to represent New York at the NCF Envirothon (North America's largest high school environmental education competition). For more information visit their website here: NYS Envirothon

  • 2024 – 32nd Annual Oswego County Envirothon - May 2

  • Oswego County Nature Park at Camp Zerbe, Town of Williamstown

  • Participants: Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, Central Square ,Fulton, Hannibal, Oswego, and Pulaski school districts.

  • Sponsors: Constellation, Indeck – Oswego Energy Center, National Grid, Ed Hogan, Oswego County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Agri-Mark Dairy Farmers, Compass Credit Union, Eagle Beverage Company, Fulton Screen Print & Embroidery, New York Master Forest Owners, New York Water Environment Association, North Shore Sportsmen’s Association, Novelis, Oswego County Trappers Association, Pepsi, Price Chopper, Sandy Tuori-Bell

  • 1st Place Overall: Oswego High School

  • 2nd Place Overall: G. Ray Bodley High School team 1, Fulton

  • 3rd Place Overall: Altmar-Parish-Williamstown High School

CONSERVATION FIELD DAY

Selkirk Shores State Park in the Town of Richland is the site of the annual Oswego County Conservation Field Day (CFD).  The program was developed as a way to introduce students to a variety of environmental topics and to encourage an appreciation of Oswego County’s natural resources.

Numerous stations are set-up within the Park and each attending fifth-grade class is assigned to one loop of five stations.  At each station, students spend twenty minutes listening and participating in discussions and hands-on activities.  After two stations, the students and teachers eat lunch and then return to their loop for three more stations.  All presenters and staff members who make the event possible are volunteers!

The presenters at the stations are specialists from various environmental fields.  Teachers are encouraged to follow-up on the topics when they return to the classroom

Recent presentation titles include: Aluminum Recycling and Reuse, Birdwatching, Day in the Life of a Forest Ranger, Ice Fishing, Incredible Journey – Water Cycle, Native Butterflies & Native Plants, Talking Turkey, Tree Identification and Growth, and Trout and Salmon of the Salmon River.

  • 2024 – 36th Annual Oswego County Conservation Field Day - September 19

  • Selkirk Shores State Park, Town of Richland

  • Attendance: 341 students, 7 schools

  • Sponsors: North Shore Sportsmen’s Association, Oswego County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Sandy Tuori-Bell