TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — Fourth grade students from Christian County enjoyed a day of fun and exploration at the annual Conservation Day held on Tuesday, May 8th. Manners Park in Taylorville, served as the perfect location for students to participate in hands-on activities and experiments. Over 300 local students attended the event. Participating schools included: Edinburg Elementary, Memorial Elementary of Taylorville, Morrisonville Elementary, Lincoln Elementary of Pana, and South Fork Elementary of Kincaid.
All activities were interactive and included: “Reptiles” taught by Dalton Gatton, Natural Resource Specialist and Lake Shelbyville Army Corp of Engineers; “The Long Haul: Water Conservation”, taught by Kristi Morris, Environmental Education Coordinator with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; “Groundwater Contamination” taught by Jeff Guy, Geologist with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; “Bird Migration Game” taught by Tara Beveroth, Ornithologist with University of Illinois Natural History; “Predator vs. Prey Game”, taught by Mellisa McMillan, Manager, Christian County Farm Bureau; “All About Tress” taught by Barb Grabner-Kerns, Field Coordinator, Trees Forever; “Conservation Jeopardy”, taught by Duane Friend, University of Illinois Extension Educator, “Insects”, taught by Ken Johnson, University of Illinois Extension Educator; “Watch Out Weeds”, taught by Andrew Holsinger, University of Illinois Extension Educator; “Trash that Lasts”, taught by Ashley Belle, University of Illinois Extension Educator; “Illinois Bats: Insect Eating Machines”, taught by Todd Austin, The Bat Doctor; “Biodiversity Lab – Traveling Science Center”, taught by Jennifer Mui, University of Illinois Natural History; “Worms Grow My Food” taught by Debbie Levault, Environmental Educator, Christian County Solid Waste; “Soil Conservation & Water Quality” taught by Tony Hammond, Soil Conservationist and Justin Ramey, Soil Technician, Natural Resources Conservation Service and “Saving Electricity” taught by Carla Bradbury, Member Service Representative with Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative.
University of Illinois Extension Unit 18 organized the event under the leadership of Charlotte Schuricht, Agricultural Literacy Program Coordinator for Christian County.
University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact our office. Universidad de Illinois ofrece igualdad de oportunidades en programas y empleo. Si usted necesita un ajuste razonable para participar en este programa, por favor póngase en contacto con nuestra oficina.
— University of Illinois Extension
For more news from Illinois, click here.