Author: Ashley Osborne
Planning Unit: 4-H Central Operations
Major Program: 4-H Agriculture Core Curriculum AND Natural Resources
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Kentucky’s natural resources play an important role in our state’s social, economic, and environmental well-being.
Today’s youth spend less time outdoors than previous generations (Clemonts, 2004; Karsten, 2005; Carver et al., 2008) and are likely able to identify a Pokémon character more easily than a native plant or animal (Balmford et al., 2002). Every five years (since 1999) the Kentucky Environmental Education Council (KEEC) conducts a survey to assess Kentuckian’s environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. According to KEEC’s 2015-2020 Environmental Education Master Plan (2015), “…the average Kentuckian is able to answer correctly slightly more than half of the environmental knowledge questions included on the survey. This result leaves ample room for improvement” (p 27). The Kentucky 4-H Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRESci) Academy strives to increase environmental literacy among youth in Kentucky. The Academy began in 2011 as a pilot program with 18 scholars from eight eastern counties. As of 2019, the Academy has grown to a statewide program with 68 scholars and ambassadors from 20 counties.
The main objectives of the Academy are that participants, referred to as scholars and ambassadors, will
The Academy meets quarterly each year. Scholars attend a three-day residential retreat at Lake Cumberland 4-H Educational Center in September and participate in three 1-day events held in winter, spring, and summer*. At the retreat, scholars engage in a variety of field exercises, including chemical, biological, and physical water quality assessment, tree identification, forest measurement data collection, wildlife observation and trapping, and insect collection and identification. During the 1-day events, scholars visit natural areas throughout the Commonwealth, such as Salato Wildlife Education Center, Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery, and UK’s Robinson Forest. These events provide an opportunity for scholars to interact with professionals in different areas of natural resources (e.g., wildlife biology, soil science, hydrology, forestry, entomology) and in different venues (e.g., research and educational forest, environmental education center, fish hatchery, cave system). In addition, scholars are required to take part in a service project. Examples of projects scholars participated in this year included invasive plant removal, trash cleanup, growing and giving away garden produce, tree planting, and educational field day events.
*This year, due to COVID-19, the Spring event was cancelled and the Summer event will be held virtually.
Scholars who graduate from the Academy in good standing can apply to be a NRESci Ambassador. The NRESci Ambassador Program is a 1-year commitment that provides graduates an opportunity to practice what they learned in the Academy while further developing leadership skills. NRESci Ambassadors attend the NRESci Fall Retreat, 4-H Teen Conference, and 4-H Teen Summit, at which they assist natural resource professionals and facilitate activities for youth**.
**This year, due to COVID-19, 4-H Teen Conference and 4-H Teen Summit were cancelled.
Sixty scholars completed a Likert scale evaluation at the end of the 2019 retreat. Results included:
References:
Balmford, Andrew, L. Clegg, T., and J. Taylor. (2002). Why Conservationists Should Heed Pokémon. The American Association for the Advancement of Science, 295 (5564): 2367.
Bone, G. (2017). Kentucky Coals Facts. Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. https://eec.ky.gov/Energy/Coal%20Facts%20%20Annual%20Editions/Kentucky%20Coal%20Facts%20-%2017th%20Edition%20(2017).pdf
Carver, Alison, A. Timperio, and D. Crawford. (2008). Playing it safe: The influence of neighbourhood safety on children’s physical activity – A review. Health and Place, 14: 217-227.
Clemonts, Rhonda. (2004). An Investigation of the Status of Outdoor Play. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 5 (1): 68-80.
Karsten, Lia. (2005). It All Used to be Better? Different Generations on Continuity and Change in Urban Children’s Daily Use of Space. Children’s Geographies, 3 (3): 275–290.
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). (2013). Kentucky's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. KDFWR. http://fw.ky.gov/WAP/Pages/Default.aspx
Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF). (2019). Forest Facts. KDF. https://eec.ky.gov/Natural-Resources/Forestry/Pages/Forest-Facts.aspx
KEEC. (2015). 2015-2020 Environmental Education Master Plan. KEEC. https://keec.ky.gov/Publications/Pages/MasterPlan.aspx
Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS). (2014). Water Factsheet. Kentucky Geological Survey. https://www.uky.edu/KGS/education/factsheet/factsheet_water.pdf
National Park Service (NPS). (2020). Mammoth Cave: A Grand, Gloomy, and Peculiar Place. NPS. https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm
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