Youth in Hardin County have many advantages to being exposed to natural resources locally. Most youth are not educated in the natural resources education or get to experience the outdoors or build social skills outside of school or home. 

Hardin County 4-H hosted a two day Environmental Day Camp where youth were able to come together and meet multiple experts of various aspects and learn more about the natural resources that surround them locally. On the first day youth met at Saunders Springs located in Radcliff, KY. There they met a Forest Ranger who took them on a hike around the area and taught them about the various plants that were living there, any animals that may be living in the area, and some safety skills for hiking. Next, they learned about water as a natural resource, topography and how water is recycled all around us, they explored in the water to find macro-invertebrates, then they got to meet the Nolin Wildlife rescue team who also brought their raccoon who had a disability. On the second day, youth met at Freeman Lake located in Elizabethtown, KY. There they met with a Game Warden who taught them all about water safety and life vests, they went fishing on the lake, they dissected owl pellets, and then they built wooden birdhouses from kits. The target audience was youth ages 9-14 years of age.  Hardin County had a total of 12 participants for the Environmental Day Camps. 

The youth who participated in the Environmental Day camp (98% participated in both days), reported feeling more comfortable being around their peers and making new friends, learning how to complete a new skill, and also exploring something they knew was their for them but seeing it in a new way.