Pendleton County 4-H has worked over the past 7 years to build a program in the natural resources and environmental education for its youth.   Opportunities provided and expanded include Overnight and Day 4-H Environmental Camps for fourth and fifth grade students, participation with the newly founded NRESci Academy state 4-H program, and Junior Master Gardener.  Efforts to provide these opportunities have involved collaboration with teachers and school administrators, camping directors and staff, and Kentucky 4-H State Specialists.  Furthermore, funds have been solicited from multiple sources including local businesses, the Pendleton County Soil Conservation Board, the Pendleton County 4-H Council, and the Pendleton County District Board to financially support programming efforts and make student involvement more affordable. 

There have been nearly 710 fourth grade students complete the 4-H Overnight and Day Environmental Camps utilizing the North Central 4-H Campground over the past 7 years which includes 79% of all eligible Pendleton County fourth graders during that time frame.  In 2018 alone, 98% of all Pendleton fourth graders and 48% of all Pendleton County fifth graders attended camp for environmental education.  These individuals consisted of males and females of all races and ethnicities.  During this exciting, educational, and networking opportunity, students learn and expand on their science, natural resource, and conservation knowledge.  They interact with birds, learn and view real reptiles, experience nature in person, study soil types, and explore water and wetland life, just to name a few.  Camp is also a time where students acquire social and interactive skills, responsibility, and teamwork.  Every year, the 4-H agent works with the school teachers and administration in developing letters, applications, orientations, and schedules for each environmental camping experience.  Furthermore, the 4-H agent communicates with the North Central Camp Director and staff in securing dates and finalizing schedule details for meals, times, and camp staff instructors.  Additional correspondence are made with University of Kentucky 4-H State Specialists, environmental educators, and Pendleton County teen and adult volunteers all of who serve as instructors through several of the class rotations for each 4-H Environmental Camping opportunity.  Week long 4-H Summer Camp (also held at North Central 4-H Campground) has increased in number every year since the start of 4-H Environmental Camp.  This expansion for the Pendleton County 4-H Camping program brought numbers to 115 for 2018 which is the largest group in the county’s camping history.   

The NRESci Academy is a three-year program designed to teach youth about their natural environment. In the program, scholars participate in hands-on investigations to learn about Kentucky’s natural resources.   This newly founded board was established in 2017.  Pendleton County had 2 individuals selected at that time who are currently serving their second term with the program. Both individuals have committed to the third term beginning fall 2019.  Upon completion, the boys will be eligible to apply as Ambassadors for the NRESci Academy which would allow them to expand their leadership skills on a county and state level. 

Pendleton County was one of the selected Extension Offices from the University of Kentucky 4-H Ag and Natural Resources State Specialist to pilot the Junior Master Gardener curriculum for the 2017-2018 school year.  Pendleton extension agents for all three program areas (4-H, Ag, and FCS) attended a 2-day training for educational lessons and materials to utilize with fourth grade students.  After corresponding with teachers, fifty-one percent of Pendleton fourth graders completed the 6 hour curriculum through lesson plans and activities for gardening education and environmental appreciation.  As a result, students were introduced to gardening concepts and educated on plant growth through hands-on indoor reservoirs/greenhouses.  Additionally, participants sampled fruits and vegetables while studying the nutritional components.  One hundred percent of the participants were supplied with seeds, materials, resources, and learned skills for future gardening implementation at their homes.