Conservation Education

The Conservation Education Program is a supplementary instructional tool in operation at Troy Public Schools. The program teaches in-class, as well as extracurricular activities, that focus on nature and place-based concepts. The program takes a multi-disciplinary approach to introducing students to the themes of environment and community. The goal of the program is to increase the critical thinking skills, ecological literacy, and positive experiences in the outdoors of students, hopefully leading to environmental and civic minded graduates.

• In-Class Lessons
  Currently, the Conservation Education Coordinator, Shawna Kelsey, works with K-3rd grade classes in Morrison Elementary School in Troy, MT. Through weekly lessons, the students work on core academic subjects, such as art and science, through the lens of nature and community topics. Troy High School has recently partnered with the YVFC in order to receive in-class Conservation Education lessons. The lessons are scheduled with the classroom teachers and apply to the currently taught subjects. Lessons include local guest speakers and lessons from Project Learning Tree, Project WET and other environmental education resources.
• School Garden
  Since the spring of 2009, the YVFC has sponsored a school garden located on the playground of Morrison Elementary School. The garden is planted and managed by kindergarten students and students in the garden club in the afterschool program. The students take great pride in their garden work, learning about plant life cycles, worms, soil, and teamwork.

• Outdoor Education
  During the summer months, the Conservation Education Program sponsors and leads a series of hikes for high school students. The hikes take place in the Cabinet Wilderness and the Yaak Valley. Also, in June of 2010, the YVFC partnered with Troy High School to offer a 4-day camping and trail restoration weekend for the high school students. By participating in the weekend, the students received work experience and school credit.

For more information about the Conservation Education Program, please contact Shawna Kelsey, the program coordinator, at shawna.kelsey@gmail.com.