Fifth Grade Conservation Field Days
Vigo County Beginning in 1987, the Vigo Co. SWCD started Conservation Field Days for all 5th grade students in the county. This first few years this event was hosted at a local farm in the county, the kids were taught about soils, water quality, agriculture, and livestock. Due to the amount of children in the county the event had to be moved to the Vigo Co. fairgrounds and has expanded to a three day event, with approximately 1,300-1,400 students that attend. Today the event has expanded to twenty different stations; including Weather, Water Quality, Agronomy, Forestry, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Bees & Butterflies, Bats, Fish & Wildlife, Wetlands, Ag History, Swine, Poultry, Soils, Recycling Top Soil, Area Planning & Development, Geology/Reclamation & Non-Renewable Resources, Stormwater, and Conservation Officers. This event gives the students the opportunity to become more familiar with the world around them. We feel it's important for the kids to get an understanding of our natural resources and how important they are to protect. We are fortunate that with all the cuts to the school corporation budgets, this event is an approved school field trip each year. To host this event, we rely on many volunteers -most of them are speakers for a station; there are about 50-60 volunteers per day. We are very fortunate to be able to partner with other SWCD's, City and County employees, Master Gardeners, Purdue Extension, Indiana American Water, WTWO-Channel 2 News, WTHI-channel 10, Tribune Star, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Purdue Farms, Indiana Beef and Dairy Cattle Council, Sycamore Trails RC&D committees, Conservation Officers, Seelyville Water Works, St. Mary of the Woods College/White Violet Center, Indiana State University and Farm Bureau. This field day allows many of children who have never had a chance to see a real beef or dairy cow, a baby pig, or hold a baby turkey to do so. The letters we receive from the schools after the fact are always so rewarding, the children are so appreciative and always say, I wish I could come back again next year. We also hope this event will spark something in a child and that they may join 4-H, start recycling at home, become more aware of their surroundings in the environment.