District Events

In early June, Freehold Soil Conservation District staff released approximately 50 young trout into the Manasquan River at Brice Park on Allenwood-Lakewood Road in Wall Township (south of Allenwood School) as part of the Trout in the Classroom  program. These New Jersey native brook trout were raised, from eggs to fingerlings, at the Freehold District office as part of an educational program to raise awareness within the building community that development and construction projects can have an impact on trout habitat and water quality. Soil can run off a project site, down storm-drains and directly into nearby brooks, streams or rivers where trout eggs are laid. Increased sediment in streams also leads to higher water temperatures – rising to levels where trout cannot survive.

    Hundreds of brook trout have already been released this spring as part of the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) Program sponsored by Freehold Soil Conservation District. Six area schools were provided with aquarium equipment (valued at $1,000) by Freehold SCD. Trout eggs were provided through Trout Unlimited and the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife for the yearlong Trout in the Classroom project. Over one hundred students engaged in hands-on stewardship activities and gained greater insight of real-life water quality and wildlife issues. 

    Middletown High School South -- Teacher Kevin Sullivan; South River Middle School -- Teacher Gayle Martinez; St. Stanislaus Kostka School -- Teacher Irene Foret; and Fords Middle School -- Teacher Jennifer Hutchinson each hosted TIC tanks this year. (Two other schools were unable to complete the October - May project and returned their tanks and trout to Freehold SCD). Students, and teachers, learned that raising young trout can be quite a challenge. The water in the 30-gallon tanks had to be changed on a regular basis, the right balance of chemicals had to be maintained and the water temperature had to be maintained at a cool 54 degrees. Raising any type of baby can be difficult, but watching the trout eggs hatch and evolve, and learning how fragile their environment can be, is all part of the TIC program.

Freehold SCD has now supplied 11 schools and 1 environmental center with the necessary equipment to raise TIC. Please click on  Conservation Connection to read more about our inaugural year in the TIC program.

  2008 Envirothon Set for May 10th

@ Duke Farms, Somerset County

The 2008 NJ Envirothon, set for May 10th, will be held at Duke Farms, Hillsborough Twp., in Somerset County and will be hosted by Somerset-Union Soil Conservation District.

Duke Farms features 2,700 acres of vast and varied landscapes from farmland, woodlands, wetland, grasslands, lakes, historic buildings, greenhouses and gardens.

Duke Farms offers a unique setting for the '08 competition and teams should jump at the chance to join in this event.
 

*NEW*

GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR NEW TEAMS

To encourage new teams in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties to participate in the '08 Envirothon, Freehold SCD is offering six (6) $100 grants to new teams to cover the expense of Envirothon team registration.

For more details click on Grant Application.

Please click on http://njenvirothon.org for more details on the 2008 NJ Envirothon.

2007 Envirothon

The 2007 Envirothon was held at the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education in Waretown on May 12th. The Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education has diverse habitats including salt marsh and bay front, a fresh water pond, maritime forest and a coastal thicket on 180 acres. For more information on the Lighthouse Center please visit www.lighthousecenternj.org. Ocean County Soil Conservation District hosted the 2007 event. 

After the final scores were tallied the winning teams were announced:

First Place: High Tech High School, Hudson County

Second Place: Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science (MATES), Ocean County

Third Place: Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Somerset County

Awards for the first place team included $1,000 scholarships, as well as scholarships to Montclair State University and Richard Stockton State College, if the students attend those colleges.  The High Tech High School team will travel to New York State to represent New Jersey at the national Canon Envirothon in July.

Canon National Envirothon Updates:  Go to www.envirothon.org for more information about the competition and photos of the event.

What Is The Envirothon? 

New Jersey Envirothon, a natural resources problem-solving competition for high school students, is held in May and draws hundreds of students from through-out the state.

The Envirothon is a dynamic hands-on Environmental Education Program that seeks to empower its participants through training, direct experience, teamwork and competition. Preparation for the Envirothon is designed to introduce students to:

Throughout the year, in preparation for the Envirothon, students explore five natural resource topics: soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife ecology and a current environmental issue.

An Envirothon Study Guide is given to each team and the activities can help teachers meet Core Curriculum Content Standards in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.

For more information on the NJ Envirothon    

          click on http://njenvirothon.org or contact Richard Belcher at 609-633-2549.

NEW

2008 "Water is Life" Poster Contest

"Water is Life" is the theme for the 2008 Poster Contest sponsored by Freehold SCD and the NJ Association of Conservation Districts.

Students in 2nd - 12th grades in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties are encouraged to explore how important water is in our everyday lives -- in homes, schools, farms, parks, communities, etc., -- and to illustrate their ideas.

Prizes include $100, $75 and $50 cash awards. All first place district level posters will be submitted to a State level competition.

Please click on poster brochure to print the entry form, email info@freeholdscd.org, or call 732-683-8500 to receive an entry form. Contest entry deadline is March 14, 2008.

A useful link on the Water is Life topic can be found by clicking on the Museum of Natural History site at http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/water/

Three Win State Level Poster Contest

Three area students were recognized for their award winning "Conservation's Power" posters at the New Jersey Association of Conservation District's Education Awards Program. Secretary of Agriculture, Charles Kuperus, was the keynote speaker and presented each student with their prize at the May 31st ceremony held at the NJ State Museum in Trenton.

Juliana Wu, Holmdel, was the first place winner in the grades 4-6 division and she received $200.00. Juliana is a student at Indian Hill School and her poster will be submitted to the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) to compete nationally. Michelle Chang, a student at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, was a 2nd place winner in the grades 10-12 division and she received $100.00. Abigail Ren, Edison, received $50.00 for her third place win in the 2-3 grade division. Abigail is a student at the Wardlaw-Hartdridge School.

2007 Poster Contest District-level Winners

  “Conservation’s Power”

 First place winners receive $100 U.S. savings bonds, second place winners receive $75 bonds and third place winners receive $50 bonds from Freehold Soil Conservation District. First place entries have been submitted to the NJ Association of Conservation Districts for consideration for State level awards.

  2008 Freehold SCD Scholarships

Enviroscape model available for demonstrations!

Freehold Soil Conservation District works to raise public awareness about watersheds and non-point source pollution. One part of this effort includes FREE demonstrations. Our Education Coordinator will visit your school or group, within Middlesex and Monmouth Counties, to demonstrate the effects of non-point source pollution using a tabletop Enviroscape model.

The Enviroscape is a useful hands-on tool when explaining non-point source pollution (NPS). NPS is pollution from runoff created when it rains. This pollution results from everyday activities such as fertilizing the lawn, walking your dog, changing motor oil, and littering. When it rains, the pollutants are washed into storm-drains that flow to our streams, rivers, lakes, and ocean.

To schedule an Enviroscape demonstration please contact Freehold SCD at (732) 683-8500 or email us at krowe@freeholdscd.org. Click on demonstration for the Enviroscape details flyer.