The V.I. Resource Conservation & Development Council Inc. (V.I. RC&D) is seeking 10 Virgin Islands’ high school students between the ages of 15-18 to attend the 2011 Natural Resources Conservation Workshop, to be held June 5-9, at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton, Georgia. The week-long conservation camp is usually only open to Georgia students; but through the sponsorship of V.I. RC&D and the V.I. Urban Forestry Council, who cover all the expenses of the trip, over 48 U.S.V.I. students have participated in this valuable and unique learning experience since 2003.
V.I. RC&D is looking for youth who are mature and interested in the natural sciences and/or agriculture. Students selected to participate will be exposed to various natural resources: soil, water, air, plants, minerals and animals. In addition, the youth will get a taste of college life while spending an entire week on the ABAC campus. Although the focus is on Georgia’s natural resources, the students will learn valuable lessons and can associate these same resources with their local environment. The camp utilizes field trips, class instruction and recreational activities to help interested youth learn about the basic principles and wise use of natural resources. Students will be able to gain insight into careers in natural resources and agriculture-related fields through the camp’s counselors and instructors – professional personnel from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, USDA-NRCS, Georgia Forestry Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and many private industries and organizations.
Student applicants must be between 15 and 18 years of age, but not a graduating senior at the time of the camp. Students must fill out a registration and medical application form, provide copies of valid insurance and proof of citizenship with photo ID (e.g. valid passport), and submit a one-page essay describing their interest in natural resources and/or agriculture and why they wish to participate in the conservation camp.
Information on the conservation camp and application packages are available from the V.I. RC&D Office, located in the Merrill Lynch Building in Gallows Bay, or by calling the office at 692-9632 ext. 5. Application packages can also be downloaded from the V.I. RC&D Web site at www.usvircd.org. The application deadline is March 31. Additional information on the Georgia Natural Resources Conservation Workshop and the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is also available at www.abac.edu/psbo/nrcw/. This project is generously funded by a grant from the V.I. Department of Agriculture Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program.