Education

Office Resources

The Middlesex Conservation District has many resources in our office on conservation education topics. Teachers and environmental educators are welcome to look through our education files. In addition, the following items are available upon request.

• "What on Earth Is Soil" coloring book for grades K - 4 appropriate for copying. Send a self-addressed 9" x 12" envelope with 63 cents postage.
• "Bringing the Soil Survey into Your Classroom" one page flyer appropriate for teaching middle and high school students. Send a self-addressed stamped (39 cents) business envelope.

Massachusetts Envirothon

The Middlesex Conservation District is a sponsor and organizer of the Massachusetts Envirothon, a natural resource program for high school students. Teams comprised of five students represent their respective school or organization in a statewide environmental competition testing their knowledge of the ecology and the natural environment including: water, soils, wildlife, habitat management, agriculture, and a current environmental issue. The topic areas are combined at test site eco-stations, where students have the opportunity to look at the environment as a whole. The issue topic for the 2007 Massachusetts Envirothon to be held on May 10, 2007 will be "Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy".

The Envirothon's purpose is to:

• Cultivate a desire to learn more about our natural environment through competitive events
• Develop a greater appreciation of our dependence on the natural environment
• Provide students with experiences in environmental-oriented activities and problem solving
• Provide a sense of personal stewardship of natural resources.

A scholarship to the University of Massachusetts College of Natural Resources and the Environment is awarded each year to one senior applicant who has participated in the Envirothon program.

To learn more about the Massachusetts Envirothon, contact:
Debi Hogan, Envirothon Coordinator, at: [email protected]

Soil Evaluator's Workshop

During the months of April and June 2005 the Middlesex Conservation District, in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) as well as the Massachusetts Health Officers Association (MHOA) and the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) offered a Title 5 Soil Evaluator Certification Workshop. 65 engineers, land surveyors, Board of Health members or agents and sanitarians spent six days gaining expertise in soil identification, groundwater hydrology and topography to enhance their ability to review and approve of disposal systems in Massachusetts. Passing both written and field tests is required for full certification by the DEP. Classroom work was completed in April and outdoor field sites were visited in Worchester, Middlesex and Essex counties in June. During the summer of 2006, another session of the Soil Evaluator's Certification is being offered in Essex County. For questions about the Soil Evaluator's workshops, contact us at:[email protected].

Links

For more information on soil and water education material visit the following web sites.

• www.nacdnet.org/education National Association of Conservation Districts
• www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/education/ Natural Resources Conservation Service
• www.aginclassroom.org Agriculture in the Classroom
• www.maenvirothon.org Massachusetts Envirothon
• www.westford.mec.edu/day/Living%20Lab Westford Living Lab