Penn State’s Stone Valley Recreation Area may sound like your typical summer camp, with fields, forests and streams, but students attending the annual College of Agricultural Sciences Conservation Leadership School will gain a lot more than sun and fun.
The Conservation Leadership School has been offering students the chance to increase their awareness of environmental conservation for more than 50 years. The week-long residential program teaches young adults about conservation and sustainability first-hand in a 7,000-acre “classroom.” The school encourages young people to think critically about the environment and opens doors to meet new people, make friends and learn important leadership skills for the future.
The two one-week sessions, held June 21-27 and July 5-11, will immerse groups of students in exploratory field-based learning while they exercise group problem-solving skills and meet professionals from different environmental fields. Students will work in teams with faculty and staff from the Penn State School of Forest Resources, and with representatives from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Rural Leadership Program, and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
This year’s curriculum focuses on wetlands, such as bogs, swamps and vernal ponds. Students will take soil samples and will practice identifying vegetation and wildlife species. They also will engage in ongoing focus areas of “green” initiatives, leadership development activities and a team-building ropes course challenge.
Scholarships are available for students through participating conservation districts and area sportsmen clubs. For more information about scholarships, registration and general information, visit: http://conferences.cas.psu.edu/CLS or contact Mike Powell at (814) 863-1113 or by e-mail at mjp175@psu.edu.