Released March 6, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A school where the classrooms include more than 7,000 acres of forests, fields, wetlands and streams will be offered this summer to high-school-age youth with an interest in natural resources.
Intended for students between the ages of 15 and 18, Conservation Leadership School, sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, provides opportunities to learn about sustaining the environment while making new friends and having fun.
In the unique setting at Penn State's Stone Valley Recreation Area near State College, participants learn about the environment and conservation during a one-week program that emphasizes field-based, hands-on learning, group problem solving and leadership.
This year's program will include a special session on leadership developed by Penn State's Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program and an interactive ropes course challenge that will foster cooperation and teamwork. The 2008 curriculum will focus on important natural resource issues including:
--Analyzing your hometown drinking water. Participants will bring a water sample from home and learn how to test for various pollutants that may occur in local water supplies.
--Deer population management and habitat conservation. Representatives from the Quality Deer Management Association will discuss strategies on how to achieve biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social and legal constraints.
--Recycling: Beyond the Bin. Students will get a behind-the-scenes look at the recycling process and learn how and why the three "Rs" (reduce, reuse and recycle) play a key role in our waste-management practices.
--What is wood? Participants may walk away with a new appreciation for one of the Earth's most versatile and sustainable resources.
--"Green" Buildings. Students will travel to Penn State's University Park campus to tour new and award-winning "green" buildings, which bring together new technologies, sustainable materials and creative designs.
Conservation Leadership School is being offered twice this summer, June 22-28 and July 6-12. The same program is offered each week. During their stay at Stone Valley, students will work in teams with faculty and staff from Penn State's School of Forest Resources and Rural Leadership Program, as well as with representatives of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the state departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources.
Scholarships are available from participating Conservation Districts in Pennsylvania and from area sportsmen clubs for students representing their district. For a list of participating organizations and to register online, visit http://conferences.cas.psu.edu and click on Conservation Leadership School.
For more information or to receive registration materials, contact the Office of Conferences and Short Courses at (814) 865-8301 or send e-mail to shortcourse@psu.edu. Registration is limited, so early application is recommended.
For questions regarding the content of the program, contact Mike Powell, Conservation Leadership School director, at (814) 863-1113 or by e-mail at mjp175@psu.edu.
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Contact: Jeff Mulhollem, (814) 8673-2719, jjm29@psu.edu