The Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD), and several of its member SWCDs, currently participate in the following youth education efforts:

• Minnesota Envirothon Program.  The Envirothon is an outdoor learning competition for high school students in grades 9 through 12.  It is one of the state's largest environmental education initiatives.  The program is coordinated by local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).  Several other groups help fund the program.  Click here for more information.

• OUTDOOR FIELD DAYS.  Many Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) or groups of SWCDs conduct outdoor field days as a way of educating elementary and junior high school students about the environment.  Below are photos highlighting just a few.

• Youth Education Packet.  Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD) developed youth education contest materials that are available to local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) and their Areas.  Participating SWCDs in turn provide the education packets to the schools in their communities.  The three major themes of the contest materials are trees, soil and water.  While MASWCD no longer conducts the contest at the state level, local SWCDs and their Areas are welcome to continue working with the materials.  Click here for more information.

Other youth education resources:

• Long Lake Conservation Center (LLCC).  Long Lake Conservation Center's mission is to promote wise use of natural resources by making students aware of the interdependence of humans and the environment.  Several SWCDs provide scholarships to the youth in their community to attend LLCC summer camps.  For more information about LLCC, visit their web site at http://www.llcc.org.

• SEEK - Minnesota's interactive directory of environmental education resources.  The SEEK web site is http://www.seek.state.mn.us/.

• Project Food, Land & People -  Project Food, Land & People promotes approaches to learning to help people better understand the interrelationships among agriculture, the environment and people of the world.  The program is currently being developed in Minnesota.  The national Food, Land and People web site is http://www.foodlandpeople.org/.

• Project WET - Coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is an international, interdisciplinary, water science and education program for formal and non-formal educators of K-12 students.  The goal of Project WET is to facilitate and promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the development and dissemination of classroom-ready teaching aids and through the establishment of state and internationally sponsored Project WET programs.  The Minnesota Project WET web site is http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/projectwet/index.html.

• Project WILD - Coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. Designed for educators of kindergarten through twelfth grade, Wild capitalizes on the natural interest that children and adults have in wildlife by providing hands-on activities.  The goal of Project WILD is to assist learners of any age in developing awareness, knowledge, skills and commitment to result in informed decisions, responsible behavior, and constructive actions concerning wildlife the environment upon which all life depends.  The Minnesota Project WILD web site is http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/projectwild/index.html.

• Project Learning Tree - Coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award winning international environmental education program. It uses the forest as a "window on the world" to increase students' understanding of our complex environment. PLT teaches not only about trees, but has informative lessons about land, the air, and the water. These lessons help to instill the confidence and commitment to take responsible action on behalf of the environment.  The Minnesota Project Learning Tree web site is http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/plt/index.html.