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NATURAL RESOURCE FIELD DAYS: A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL EVENT FOR THOUSANDS OF YOUTH

Natural Resources/Aquaculture

Taun Beddes
Horticulture Agent
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
Orem

Abstract

Youth education is a vital aspect in the role of Extension nationally. A unique youth education program that has existed in Cache County, UT, for more than 20 years is Natural Resource Field Days (NRFD). This program involves multiple agencies including USU Extension, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the US Forest Service, Master Gardeners, local school districts, the USU College of Education and Human Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service as well as many individual volunteers. It is taught annually in the scenic Logan Canyon at a large campground and lasts 14 days. Four highly interactive, educational modules are included: water quality and conservation; wildlife in the environment; soil conservation and forestry. All closely follow the state approved educational core-curriculum in Science and are facilitated and organized by qualified individuals in these particular fields. Many volunteers are USU undergraduate elementary education students. Standardized lesson plans are written for these volunteers, where most are not experienced in topics taught at NRFD. More than 2,000 fourth-grade students attend annually, and NRFD is regularly featured in the local media. Post-event evaluation results of participating fourth-grade teachers show an overall satisfaction with teaching methods and the quality of the instructional content consistently above 4.6 on a scale of 1 through 5. Many local teachers have adopted the developed materials to use in their classrooms, and materials have also been utilized by others within the Extension system. Authors: Beddes, T. , Lee, M., Mesner, N., Williams, S.
  1. Beddes, T. Horticulture Agent, Utah State University, Utah, 84321
  2. Lee, M. Educator, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah, 84319
  3. Mesner, N. Extension Water Quality Specialist, Utah State University, Utah, 84322
  4. Williams, S. 4-H Agent, Utah State University, Utah, 84321