On June 16 2021, Hopkins County 4-H hosted a natural resource day camp at Mahr Park Arboretum. The goal of the camp was to offer a fun and exciting way for youth to understand the impacts they have on the environment and how they can help improve it. Through the help of different community resources, we were able to have the day camp successfully.

As mentioned previously the camp was held at Mahr Park Arboretum. Mahr Park is a 265-acre park, featuring a natural environment looming with wildlife, native trees, and plants. This is also where the new Danny Peyton Famers Market and Outdoor Education Center is located. In an effort to continue building trust and establishing a partnership we felt hosting our event at the park made for a great day.

At the day camp, we had guest speakers from Madisonville Community College and Reptile Zoo of Kentucky. The lesson covered water usage, water filtration, soil erosion, and how reptiles play into the environment as well. At the end of the day, we surveyed the youth to gather results of their experience. 

Of the 18 youth who came, 15 took our survey. We learned that of the 15 youth only 1 person had never been to Mahr Park. We were very happy to hear that the youth were taking advantage of the arboretum. 14 of the youth learned something and felt they knew how to make a difference helping protect the Earth. 10 of the 15 youth indicated that they wanted to learn more about natural resources and the environment!