Statement findings from the 2011 PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment) campaign indicated that many students in Laurel County were unaware of the effects of pollution on the environment, environmental resources, and the stewardship of those resources. When surveyed, local teachers, school officials, the Laurel County 4-H council and the Laurel County Extension Council, also identified environmental education as a valuable "need" for local youth. As a result of this need assessment, the Laurel County 4-H agents, in collaboration with local schools and other environmental groups, presented a 4-day environmental education camp.

During the camp, students rotated among educational stations that focused on different environmental topics including Pollinators and honey making by Southeast KY Beekeepers Association, Kentucky fish and how pollution impacts them, presented by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, fur trade as an integral part of the settlement of America, presented by UK Cooperative Extension Ag Dept. (Bell County), Recycling Relay Race by South Laurel High School Environmental Science students, wildlife by North Laurel High School FFA students, Water Quality by KY Division of Water, Bear Biology by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Forestry Service, Fire Safety with U.S. Forestry Service, Recycling and Waste Management by Kentucky Division of Waste, and Soil Conservation by Laurel County NRCS.

For the past ten years, the camp has been an environmental education tool that serves to increase student awareness about the environment and encourages long-term environmental stewardship among youth. This year, students, grades 4-12, from 6 local schools attended the day camp at J.M. Feltner 4-H camp in London, KY. Over 750 participants and 60 volunteers were involved in the program throughout the 4-day event. Each day, students were given the opportunity to apply scientific processes and higher order thinking skills as they were exposed to different environmental topics. All the while, encouraging creativity, originality, and flexibility as they resolved environmental problems and issues. The objectives of the program is for participants to leave inspired and empowered to become responsible, productive, and participatory individuals pertaining to the environment.  The following are some quotes of participating students:

• I have never been a part of anything like this and definitely want to be involved in the future (volunteer).
• Honey bees are important to everything we eat.
• Who knew that wood was so valuable.
• I want to come back to this camp in the summer and do this again.
• I had no idea that one person could create that much trash in a short amount of time.
• I didn’t know we had bears around here.
• I didn’t understand how important renewable vs non-renewable natural resources were until I came to this camp.

We also had previous attendees at this camp that came back as volunteers to teach the younger students. The teachers said that the high school students’ stations were one of the best of the week.