ROME — The 57th 4-H Conservation Education Days (CED) were held recently at Delta Lake State Park with 786 sixth grade students from across Oneida County attending the event. This was the first year since 2019 that Conservation Education Days was held in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Students rotated through 14 stations that helped them better understand the ecological balance of humans, wildlife, forest, soil and water in New York State. The stations were interactive and informative for the youth attending. They were able to learn animal calls, how maple syrup is made, how to enjoy the multitude of area walking and hiking trails and what to do if they find themselves lost in the woods.

The students also have the opportunity to take the knowledge they learned at Conservation Education Days and create a poster to enter into the poster competition. The CED committee judges the posters at the end of October and the winners of the poster contest are awarded prizes at a later date. 

4-H Conservation Education Days continues to be a free event for Oneida County sixth grade students. Funding for the program comes from a grant from Oneida County Youth Bureau and partnerships with various organization including Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County; Central New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Federated Sportsman’s Clubs of Oneida County, Inc.; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation; Sportsman’s Education Program, Oneida County; Utica Zoo; and the Oneida County Soil and Water Conservation District.

With such a large number of participants, the CED Committee highlighted the need for enhanced security presence to offer peace of mind to all attending. With funding from Boralex, Conservation Education Days was able to secure a New York State Park Police officer stationed at the event site for both event days.

“Boralex is dedicated to supporting educational and workforce development programs in our host communities, and we are honored to partner with CCE/4H in connecting students with conservation career opportunities,” said Marc Stachiw, project manager for Boralex. 

Earlier this year, Boralex launched the Beyond Renewables Fund to provide meaningful support to our host communities and disadvantaged communities across New York State. Resources will go to local partners focused on STEM education and workforce development efforts throughout the duration of facility operations.

For more information on upcoming events, find Oneida County 4-H Youth Development and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County on Facebook.