Eastern Kentucky PRIDE

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McCreary County treats its 7th graders to camp

McCreary County Environmental Education Camp 2013

Sixty-nine seventh-graders attended the McCreary County Environmental Education Camp at the J.M. Feltner 4-H Camp in May. In this photo, they were joined by several camp leaders to accept the PRIDE Environmental Education Project of the Month Award.

The McCreary County Environmental Education Camp won the PRIDE Environmental Education Project of the Month Award for June 2013.The McCreary County Extension Service hosted the camp for 69 seventh-graders from McCreary County Middle School. The three-day, two-night camp was held in May at the J.M. Feltner 4-H Camp in London.

The students participated in 12 classes led by 15 volunteer instructors. They also toured the London Recycling Center and the Laurel Ridge Landfill.

When asked what they learned at the camp, students’ comments included: “How to be environmental friendly;” “How what we thought was trash could be recycled into new things;” “They put pipes in the ground to get a new source of energy;” “I learned where garbage goes after it gets thrown away;” and “The camp was a very fun and a wonderful experience.”

“With this overnight camp, McCreary County offers its young people one of the state’s most unique environmental education experiences, and that is fitting since excellent stewardship skills are needed to maintain McCreary County’s exceptional natural resources,” said Tammie Wilson, PRIDE President/Chief Executive Officer.

“We started this program in the 1990s, and it has become a tradition with seventh grade students,” said Greg Whitis, McCreary County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“They have heard about the program before they get to seventh grade, and they start asking their teachers when they arrive at the beginning of the year about the program,” he explained.

“I would like to thank all of the financial donors over the past years that have made this program possible,” Whitis said. “We also owe a big thank you to all the program presenters that give of their time to come from year to year to present educational information to the participants.”

The 2013 camp was sponsored by the McCreary County Extension Service, McCreary County Middle School, McCreary County Soil Conservation District, Toyota H2O Grant, Dolen’s U-Haul and PRIDE.

The agencies that provided speakers this year were the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, McCreary County Water District, Laurel County Extension Service, Kentucky State University, McCreary County Extension Service, Bell County Extension Service, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Forestry Department, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Entomology Department, Laurel County Soil Conservation District and PRIDE.

The PRIDE Environmental Education Project of the Month Award program rewards creative, effective ways of promoting environment awareness and stewardship. The award is given by PRIDE, a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental cleanup and education efforts in 42 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky.

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