Soil & Water Education
The Guilford Soil and Water Conservation District provides educational and outreach programs to K-12 students and the Guilford County community. These programs include environment-based presentations, educational newsletters, brochures, activities, and games. Available resources come from the environmental educational curriculum of programs such as Project WET, Project Learning Tree (PLT), Project WILD. All programs utilize STEM and inquiry-based methods and are correlated to NC core standards where applicable.
The environmental education topics offered include soil and water conservation, agriculture, recycling, soil, water, air, composting, point and non-point pollution, and environmental stewardship.
All programs are provided free of charge. Please contact Sydney Sutcliffe for more information at 336-641-2444 ssutcliffe@guilfordcountync.gov.
Programs
Theme: “Wetlands are Wonderful”
Entry Deadline: Monday, March 31st 2025 by 5:00PM
Guilford Soil & Water Student Conservation Contests are designed to encourage students to apply their understanding of natural processes to the real world, in which they recognize the importance of conserving the processes they depend on. First place winners will advance to Area and State levels. All contests are sponsored by the NC Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts.
Entry Design
Students are encouraged to further research the conservation theme and package what they have learned into the format of a poster, essay or speech. Entries will be judged on the strength of their conservation message, as well as the effectiveness of their communication of that message to the public. Please make sure to review complete contest entry guidelines in the above contest handbook.
Prize Money
Prize monies will be given in the form of either a VISA or Walmart gift card.
Poster Contest:
1st Place: $50
2nd Place: $35
3rd Place: $25
Guilford SWCD offers a unique, interactive learning tool called the Enviroscape which helps people of all ages make a visual connection between land use and water quality. The Enviroscape is a 3-D hands-on model that shows both point and nonpoint sources of water pollution and the function of watersheds. The Enviroscape makes complex issues visually clear and aids students in their understanding of the costs of compounding pollution within their own neighborhoods.
EnviroScape: Environmental Education Products (enviroscapes.com)
Envirothon is the largest high school environmental science contest in North America.
Participation takes place at three levels: area, state and national. Competitions provide the opportunity for students to earn thousands of dollars in scholarship money.
Five (5)-member teams work together to compete at middle (5th-8th) and high (9th-12th) school levels. These teams train in the areas of soils, aquatics, wildlife, forestry and current environmental issues. Qualifying teams at area levels participate are sponsored by Guilford County to compete in the state level competition. The winning high school team represents the state at the North American (NCF)-Envirothon each summer.
Visit NC Envirothon to access study materials, and to get information on registration and volunteering for the NC Envirothon competition.
- 2025 Area 3 - Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at Alamance Community College
- 2025 NC State Envirothon - May 2-3, 2025, Cedarock Park
- 2025 National Level - Calgary, Alberta, Canda Mount Royal University on July 20-26, 2025
To learn more visit NCF-Envirothon.
Want to learn more? Contact Sydney Sutcliffe
There are no field days scheduled at this time.
If you would like to know more about scheduling one, please contact Sydney Sutcliffe (336)641-2444 or ssutcliffe@guilfordcountync.gov.
Come hangout at the Resource Conservation Workshop (RCW) this summer. Get immersed with all things conservation. The RCW is summer camp designed for high school students who are interested in the environment. This educates students on how to preserve environmental resources. This gives students an opportunity to win scholarships and awards. By submitting an application to Guilford SWCD, they can get the chance to go for FREE! Come explore all the adventures of the outdoors.
- Hands-on learning
- Outdoor learning
- Cutting-Edge Technology
- Expert Guidance
- Friendship & Networking
- Leadership & Development
The workshop will be occurring at NCSU from June 15-20, 2025. If you want further information about the RCW, please contact Sydney Sutcliffe at (336)641-2444 or ssutcliffe@guilfordcountync.gov.
Applications should be emailed to ssutcliffe@guilfordcountync.gov by Monday, April 28, 2025.
The workshop provides a unique experience for students to be exposed to natural resource and related careers and advanced conservation concepts. At the conclusion of the workshop, students are tested on their knowledge, and top scorers are awarded cash prizes or scholarships. Students with top scores on the review test will receive monetary awards:
1st place $100 in cash plus a $500 scholarship
2nd place $100 in cash plus a $275 scholarship
3rd place $100 in cash
4th place $75 in cash
5th place $50 in cash
In addition, the following scholarships are also offered:
NC District Employees Association Scholarship ($1000*) - based on student achievement, counselor recommendation, and interviews.
Grady Lane Scholarship ($1000*) plus $100 in cash - based on student achievement, counselor recommendation, and interviews.
*Received when student enrolls in college
Guilford Soil & Water Conservation District offers professional development opportunities for formal and non-formal educators. Guilford Soil & Water Conservation District may certify educators in the following environmental education curriculum:
Project WET: Water Education for Teacher Grades K-12: Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is an interdisciplinary water education program intended to supplement a school's existing curriculum. The goal of Project WET is to facilitate and promote the awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the development and dissemination of classroom ready teaching aids and through the establishment of state sponsored Project WET programs. Project WET offers the educator: activity guides and modules designed for K-12. By using Project WET services and resource materials, young people will gain the knowledge, skill and commitment needed to make informed decisions about water resource uses and conservation.
Courses are typically six (6) hours for 0.6 CEU or six (6) hours Criteria 1 (Environmental Educator Certificate) with a four (4)-hour homework option for 1.0 CEU or 10 hours Criteria 1.
Participants leave with curriculum resources, typically provided free of charge. Contact Sydney Sutcliffe to schedule a program or check out our Upcoming Events to see what is already scheduled.