About the District

Environmental education & outreach

Educational Presentations available to School and Youth Groups:

The Conservation Education Coordinator for Tompkins County SWCD would be happy to give presentations to your elementary, middle school, or high school classes. He will also come and give a presentation to your group, organization, or event about what programs are available through the SWCD. The District is annually involved various educational outreach opportunities, such as 4-H Environmental Appreciation Days, Dryden Dairy Days, Farm City Day, the New York State Fair, and many others. If your school, organization, or event would like us to visit, please contact Seth Dennis.

The District has several demonstrations available, including:

Ronny Raindrop --The Soil & Water District's mascot. Makes school appearances to educate young children about the importance of water conservation and water protection.
Enviroscape -- a large environmental model (owned by Cornell Cooperative Extension) that demonstrates for children how polluted water and eroded soils move through the ecosystem.
Groundwater Model -- Groundwater model show the movement of groundwater through various types of soil. Also can demonstrate what happens when contaminates get into groundwater.
Stormwater Activity -- Hands on activity for young students to demonstrate how stormwater works, where it goes, and how pollution factors can impact it.
Informational Displays -- information and handouts about District activities and programs.

Call the office for details or to suggest your demonstration or display needs. If there is a specific subject related to soil and water conservation that you would like the District to show your students or group, please call the office early to allow the Educator to prepare the lesson.

Other Information / Resources Available

The District has various educational information available free of charge to the public. Some of the topics include soils, water quality, ground water, wildlife, plant life, forestry, and various agricultural information. Our references are varied and many. Various maps and aerial photos may also be accessed at our office. To find out more about these map and photo resources, click here.

ENVIROTHON

The Envirothon is North America's largest high school environmental competition. The regional and local competitions are held in the spring, and the winning high school team from each county competes in the New York State Envirothon held several weeks later. NYS winners go on to compete in the Canon Envirothon_®, which is the national competition.

High school teams with 3-5 students each are tested in the subjects of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a current environmental issue which is different every year. The competition is held outdoors and is hands-on. Tompkins County high school teams compete in the Southern Tier Regional Envirothon in April at the Tioga County Sportsmen's Association in Owego. Other counties that participate in this regional competition are Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, and Tioga. The Soil and Water Conservation Districts from these counties sponsor a T-shirt design contest, and the winning design is printed on the shirts that all students involved receive. There is no cost to students (in any way) to participate in the Envirothon. The schools involved are only responsible for transportation.

If your Tompkins County high school is interested in becoming involved in the Envirothon competition, please contact Seth Dennis.

Some Educational Links

Many of the following links have educational sections for students and teachers.

www.usda.gov -- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

www.usda.gov/news/usdakids/index.html -- USDA for Kids Page

www.nrcs.usda.gov -- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

plants.usda.gov -- USDA/NRCS Plants Database

www.epa.gov -- US Environmental Protection Agency

www.usgs.gov -- United States Geological Survey (USGS)

www.noaa.gov -- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

www.fs.fed.us -- USDA Forest Service

www.dec.state.ny.us -- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

www.nysenvirothon.org-- New York State Envirothon Homepage

www.envirothon.org -- Canon Envirothon_® (National Envirothon Homepage)

www.swcs.org -- Soil and Water Conservation Society

www.soils.org -- Soil Science Society of America

www.geosociety.org -- Geological Society of America

www.agiweb.org -- American Geological Institute

www.englib.cornell.edu/pri/pri1.html -- Paleontological Research Institution

www.cce.cornell.edu/topics/youth.html -- Cornell Cooperative Extension Youth Page

www.nationalgeographic.com -- National Geographic Magazine

www.science.gov -- US Government Science & Technology

www.sciencenter.org - The Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY

If you know of a website that you would like to have listed here, please contact us and let us know!