Scholarships
Evergreen offers a scholarship every year to a Smyth County graduating senior. Evergreen’s Board of Directors and staff review and screen all applications. The scholarship provides financial support to students wanting to major in a field related to natural resource conservation and/or work in agriculture. This year Evergreen is offering a $1,000.00 scholarship. The recipient is then turned into the Virginia SWCD Education Foundation to compete in their statewide scholarship for an additional $1,000.00 scholarship.
Evergreen sends out the scholarship guidelines and application to all Smyth County high schools. You can also access the guidelines and application below. Please note it is the same application for both scholarships, Evergreen will send in the winning applicant up to the state level scholarship.
Smyth County Scholarship Letter and Guidelines
Lesson Plans
Evergreen has several lesson plans for students of all ages; many of the lessons are hands-on or involve fun models. We offer lessons covering watersheds, soil, erosion, non-point source pollution, habitats, animal tracks, pollinators, farm to food, local agriculture, and so much more!
Please contact Sarah Gardner to learn more about what is available to Smyth County teachers and students. Contact her at 276-706-3068 or sarahtilson88@gmail.com
Envirothon
**Envirothon 2021 will be all virtual this year. For more information please contact our staff**
The Envirothon competition is a nationwide competition for all high school students. Students work in teams of five and compete first locally and then have a chance of going on to regional, state, and even national levels. The competition is based on natural resources; students learn stewardship, actual management concepts, and work to solve real world environmental problems. Teams test their knowledge on five categories: soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and a current environmental issue that changes every year but is announced ahead of time. As a group, the team takes separate tests for each category and also must perform a speech/presentation with visual aids in front of judges. The event is competitive in nature but education is the bottom line.
Teams can be created through school clubs, classes, home school groups, 4-H groups, Scout Troops, local nature centers, etc. The only requirements for a team are a minimum of five students and one adult advisor/chaperone. For more information about Envirothon, please check out the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts at http://vaswcd.org/envirothon
Conservation Camp
**2020 Youth Conservation Camp was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions**
The Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts hosts a one week summer camp every year. The camp is always held at Virginia Tech and the campers and counselors stay in the same dorm. Campers will learn about the importance of conservation through fun activities and games. The week is very full of adventures like hiking, swimming, kayaking, farm tours, and much more. This year’s Conservation Camp will be July 12-18. Evergreen offers two scholarships every year to help pay for the cost of the camp. If you are interested in applying we would love to tell you more about the camp as well as help you apply for the scholarship. A link to the application and the 2020 draft camp agenda is below.
2020 Camper Application_VASWCD
To learn more about Evergreen’s education projects and the programs we sponsor, contact Sarah Gardner at 276-706-3068 or sarahtilson@gmail.com
Evergreen Soil and Water Conservation District 