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Trees are a vital part of our ecosystems. They provide shelter and food to animals, help lower our energy bills by providing shade during the summer months, help control erosion, and prevent flooding.
Thanks to our generous supporters, Licking Soil & Water offers free seedling trees to elementary and middle school students and schools to be planted in our community. The free seedling tree program is an opportunity to show students how essential trees are to their health, the community, and our environment.
There are two options available for this program. Each option includes the trees and all items needed to prep the trees to send with the students. This includes planting guides and teacher resource guides that meet state educational standards.
In option 1, each student in a participating school or class receives a seedling tree to take home to plant. This option is ideal for schools where students have a place at home to plant a tree.
If a large portion of the student body lives in a more urbanized area, such as an apartment or rental property, please consider option 2. For option 2, educators can request a certain number of trees to be planted on your school grounds. This option is perfect for enhancing an outdoor classroom and allows all students to have ownership and responsibility for the trees planted at their school.
To reserve free trees for your students or school, please fill out this Google Form.
The free trees will be available for pick up at the Soil & Water office on Friday, April 19th, 8:30 am and 7:00 pm! The deadline to reserve your free trees is Friday, March 22nd.
For any questions on Soil & Water's Free Trees for Students program, please reach out to Deirdre Wise at DeirdreWise@LickingSWCD.com or 740-670-5333.
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It’s that time of year to start talking about the River Round Up poster contest! Every September, the River Round Up brings out hundreds of volunteers to help clean up the Licking River and its tributaries. To help advertise this event, we ask students throughout Licking County to submit their posters reflecting on water pollution awareness, the importance of clean water, and encouraging volunteer participation in the River Round Up.
Entries are split into three categories: Elementary (K-4), Middle/Intermediate School (5-8), and High School (9-12). One winner in each category is chosen. The students with the winning posters receive a $100 award for themselves and a $500 award for their school's science or art program.
For more information on the River Round Up poster contest, or to submit a River Round Up poster, please visit the River Round Up Poster Contest 2024 page on our website. If you would like a member of the River Round Up Poster Committee to come to your classroom or school to introduce the poster contest, please contact Deirdre Wise at DeirdreWise@LickingSWCD.com or 740-670-5333.
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Have you heard of Envirothon? The Envirothon is an environmental and natural resource conservation problem-solving competition for high school teams across the United States, Canada, and China. The Envirothon helps to educate students about the environment and conservation of our natural resources with hands-on, outdoor experiences and collaborative competitions.
This competition helps prepare our future generation to tackle complex environmental issues and promote stewardship of natural resources with consideration for both the human quality of life and the quality of the environment. The students become environmentally aware and action-oriented citizens.
During the Envirothon competition, students are tested in the areas of aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and current environmental issues. Students start at the local level and have the opportunity to advance to the state and international levels.
This year, the Tri-County Envirothon will be held at Taft Reserve South in Licking County on April 9th. This is a practice competition for high school students with middle school students welcome to join as well. Registration for the Tri-County Envirothon will happen the day of the event, but please let us know your intentions beforehand so that we can plan accordingly.
This year’s Area 3 Envirothon will be held at Gledford Fort Preserve in Perry County on April 24th. We are looking for Licking County teams interested in participating! Up to four teams per school are welcome to join. Registration for the Area 3 Envirothon is due on March 14th. We will be in touch when registration forms for the Area 3 Envirothon become available.
Study materials for the Envirothon competition are available from Soil & Water upon request.
If you have any questions about the Area 3 or Tri-County Envirothon, registration for either event or would like to be sent study materials, please contact Deirdre Wise at DeirdreWise@LickingSWCD.com or 740-670-5333.
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Are you interested in taking a team of students to participate in the Envirothon Competition? Are you wondering what to expect or where to start? Licking, Muskingum, and Perry County Soil and Water Conservation Districts are hosting an Envirothon Teacher Workshop for anyone interested in learning more about starting an Envirothon team.
This workshop will be held on April 25th in Perry County at 4:30 pm and will include a mock Envirothon competition and informational session. Pre-registration is required.
For more information on the Envirothon Teacher Workshop or instructions on how to register, please contact Deirdre Wise at DeirdreWise@LickingSWCD.com or 740-670-5333.
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This year, Licking Soil & Water again offers a scholarship for one Licking County high schooler to attend Camp Canopy.
Camp Canopy is a one-of-a-kind summer camp in Carrollton, Ohio for students interested in forestry, wildlife, conservation, ecology, and other natural resource fields. It is a week-long, co-ed residential camp open to high school students entering their freshman year up through graduating seniors.
Supported by the Ohio Forestry Association, the camp offers educational sessions with traditional camp activities and adventures. All educational sessions are taught by instructors from Ohio's top natural resource organizations and industry experts from the state's top educational institutions. Together, the OFA and Camp Canopy provide a curriculum that gives a comprehensive overview of the forestry and wildlife disciplines through lessons that incorporate both adventure and education.
At the end of camp, campers can take a test to qualify for a scholarship to The Ohio State University's School of Environment and Natural Resources, Hocking College's School of Natural Resources, Zane State College, or a scholarship for the student to use at a natural resource school of their choice.
If you have any students who may be interested in attending Camp Canopy, encourage them to apply to the Licking Soil & Water Camp Canopy Scholarship! The scholarship application can be found on the Education Page of our website.
If you have any questions about Camp Canopy or the scholarship process, please contact Deirdre Wise at DeirdreWise@LickingSWCD.com or 740-670-5333.
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Stormwater Tip: Reduce your salt use!
This time of year as snow falls, melts, and freezes, it is important to to take precautions to keep our walkways and driveways safe and clear of ice. Unfortunately, this can cause problems for our waterways.
The cheapest and most commonly used melting agent is sodium chloride. This is the same salt that we use in our kitchens. When this salt is deposited on the landscape, it eventually washes away and can cause issues for the environment as well as for drinking water. When this salt washes away, it kills plants, damages soil, harms aquatic life in streams and rivers, and can even contaminate drinking water.
Thankfully, there are ways to reduce your use of sodium chloride and even alternatives that can be used. Below are some tips to help you reduce your use of sodium chloride this winter season.
Reduce your use of sodium chloride by:
- Use the recommended amount - it is recommended that salt grains are about 3 inches apart (this is about 1.5 cups of salt is enough for a 20-foot driveway, 2 parking lot spaces, or 10 sidewalk squares)
- Sweep up extra salt to reuse
- Physically remove as much snow and ice as possible before using chemicals. The earlier you shovel, the easier this will be.
- Limit access to your home to one entrance. This will allow you to leave the other entrances as they are without needing to remove the snow or treat them with ice melt.
Use alternative de-icing products such as:
- Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) - prevents the formation of ice down to -17.5 degrees F if used as pre-treatment, is not toxic to plants and animals, biodegradable
- magnesium chloride - effective down to 5 degrees F, least toxic deicing salt, safer for plants and animals than other deicing salts
- sand - adds traction to help prevent falls
Share these tips with your students! To help teach your students about water pollution runoff in waterways, schedule an EnviroScape presentation! For any questions or to schedule a program, contact Deirdre Wise at DeirdreWise@LickingSWCD.com or 740-670-5333.
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Feb 2: World Wetlands Day
Mar 3: World Wildlife Day
Mar 14: Area 3 Envirothon Registration Due to Deirdre at Soil & Water
Mar 18: Global Recycling Day
Mar 22: World Water DayMar 24: Free Trees for Students requests through Google Forms are due
Apr 7: Deadline for River Round Up poster entries
Apr 9: Tri-County Envirothon @ Taft Reserve South in Licking County
Apr 21 and 22: Free Trees for Students pick-up daysApr 22: Earth Day
Apr 24: Area 3 Envirothon at Glenford Fort Preserve in Perry County*Apr 25: Envirothon Educator Workshop in Perry County
Apr 26: Arbor Day
* RSVP Required
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