Participants had fun discovering the path to a greener tomorrow at Ag Day 20009, the University of Delaware’s 34^th annual celebration of agriculture and natural resources. The event, hosted each year by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, was held on Saturday, April 25.  Ag Day is a free family-oriented event designed to showcase the many facets of modern agriculture and natural resources through tours, demonstrations, educational exhibits, children’s games and activities, and a variety of live music. 

In keeping with the 2009 theme, “Discover the Path to a Greener Tomorrow,” The event not only highlighted sustainable ways the college is pursuing a greener tomorrow, but it also highlighted ways to go green at home.  The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), New Castle Conservation District (NCCD), and the Delaware Envirothon were among the 79 exhibitors participating in the festivities this year.

NRCS staff hosted a display highlighting the various farm bill programs they offer to landowners to help them implement conservation practices on their land.  The NRCS staff also provided a GPS and a soils activity for visitors.  Participants who visited the display could make a soil profile of Greenwich Soil, Delaware’s State Soil.  Staff from the NCCD hosted the District’s display as well as the Delaware Envirothon display and activity wheel. 

 

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Delaware Envirothon 2009- April 30

 

Kent County’s Big Oak Park and the Delaware Aerospace Education Foundation’s Environmental Outpost provided the perfect setting for an intense day of challenging environmental competition during the 14^th annual Delaware Envirothon, held on April 30. Thirteen teams, each consisting of five Delaware high school students, competed for the big win after working hard throughout the school year to prepare for the event.  Each team answered questions, reviewed specimens and took measurements in topics dealing with aquatic ecology, forestry, soils/land-use, wildlife, and biodiversity in a changing world.  The students rotated to five separate eco-stations for testing.  

 

After more than three hours of testing, Team A from the Charter School of Wilmington was crowned the 2009 state champions.  Polytech High School Team A placed second in the competition followed by Team B from the Charter School of Wilmington in third place and Kent County 4H in fourth place.  The state champions will now train for the 2009 Canon Envirothon to be held Aug. 2 – Aug. 8 at the University of North Carolina in Asheville, North Carolina. 

 

The Delaware Envirothon is sponsored by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts and is run entirely on donations solicited each year and the talents of volunteers from local environmental agencies and groups.  Each year, NRCS staff provides the hands-on training for the soils category in addition to providing volunteers who staff the testing eco-stations, serve as judges for the oral presentation component, and serve as official photographers for the event. 

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DSWA Earth Day Festival- April 18

 

The Delaware Envirothon was represented at the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s (DSWA) 9^th Annual Earth Day Festival which was held on Saturday, April 18^th at Killen’s Pond State Park. DSWA organizes the Earth Day Festival in an effort to promote environmental awareness to families in Delaware.  The Envirothon hosted an activity tent where festival attendees were able to learn more about some of the topics that Envirothon participants are tested on including the current environmental topic for 2009, which is Biodiversity in a Changing World. 

 

Hands-on activities in the tent represented the forestry, soils, and wildlife topics.  The wildlife table contained a stuffed squirrel, a few animal pelts, a deer skull, and a few sets of antlers.  The forestry table included educational posters and some very large pine cones.  The soils activity allowed participants to make a soil profile of Greenwich Soil, which is Delaware’s State Soil.  A display showcasing NRCS field staff training students about determining the texture of soils, using a soil survey, reading a soils color chart, determining slope, etc. was also on hand to give visitors an idea of the soils activities students would be tested on during the Envirothon competition.   

 

Over the years, DSWA’s Earth Day Festival has brought thousands of people together to not only explore environmental topics but to enjoy the beauty of one of Delaware’s State Parks.

 

Captions: 

Photo Caption #1- NRCS District Conservationist Thomas Wiltbank serves as one of several tour guides for hayride participants at the 2009 Day on the Farm (DOTF) event.

Photo Caption #2- DNREC's Community Relations Officer Michelle Jacobs engages participants with questions at the Envirothon booth for the 2009 DOTF event.

Photo Caption #3- NRCS Soil Conservationist Laurie Gandy helps participant with soil tube profile at the 2009 Ag Day in New Castle County.  

Photo Caption #4- Student participant steps into soils pit to take measurements as part of the statewide Envirothon competition.

Photo Caption #5- Conservation Planner Jimmy Hughes explains a soil profile to young participants of DSWA's Earth Day festival.