CONSERVATION 

 EDUCATION 



It is school time again. Montana youngsters will 

 be learning many things, among them Conservation. 

 Many Montana Soil & Water Conservation Districts 

 include in their Educational Programs tours for 

 Grade School children, visits. to schools by Super- 

 visors, County Agents, Technicians, to pass out 

 literature on Conservation, to show Conservation 

 films, to give talks, to, sponsor Conservation 

 Essays, Conservation Posters, to provide teachers 

 with teaching materials, etc. Many districts offer 

 substantial prizes in the many types of contests. 



During the summer range tours for cUttdren and 

 adults, are popular. Water Conservation and 

 Wildlife is studied. School Teachers attend Con- 

 servation Workshops offered by Montana Colleges. 

 4-H members attend Conservation Camp. 



Science Fairs in Montana schools show greater 

 interest in Conservation projects. Textbooks 

 used in our schools, have much Conservation 

 material and references. 



Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisors 

 together with the wonderful progress of Extension 

 Agents, 4-H, school teachers, colleges, Boy 

 Scouts, Conservation Groups, and Conservation 

 agencies, can take much credit for the above. 



How does Conservation Education Program do in 

 your district? 



Following is a typical and suggested set up for youi 

 district: 



Chairman of Board appoints a Supervisor as chair- 

 man of Districts Education Committee. This 

 Education Chairman appoints his committee by 

 asking some or all of the following to help formu- 

 late the District Conservation Education program: 

 Superintendent of Schools, County Agent, School 

 teacher, Vo-ag instructor, 4-H leader, Boy or 

 Girl Scout Leader, Fish & Game representative, 

 Sportsmen's representative, technicians of SCS, 

 Forest Service, etc. This group should meet 

 twice a year. The Supervisor who is chairman 

 should report on progress, activity, or problems, 

 to his monthly board meeting, and include in his 

 report all items of conservation Education going 

 on in the district. A District Conservation Edu- 

 cation Program would include many of the items 

 listed above together with when it will be done 

 and who will be responsible. 



What help do teachers want most in teaching con- 

 servation? Research by school administrators 

 show the following: (1) Charts of basic concepts; 

 (2) Lesson outlines to follow; (3) Visual Aids. 



Blaine County Soil & Water Conservation District 

 have distributed "A Conservation Guide for Blaine 

 County Schools" to all schools in their district. 

 This booklet was prepared by Herb DeVries, County 

 Agent, and applies to Conservation in Blaine County 

 as well as the State and Nation. 



Montana Conservation Council have prepared a 

 book "The Conservation of Montana's Natural 

 Resources, A Handbook for Montana School Teachers" 

 for use with another booklet titled" Suggested 



Activities for the Teaching of the Conservation 

 of Natural Resources". These booklets are 

 available at Reporter Printing and Supply Co. , 

 Billings, Montana. They have excellent lesson 

 outlines and visual aid references. 



A text -workbook titled "Learning about Soil & 

 Water Conservation" is available from the John- 

 sen Publishing Company, 1135-37 R. Street, 

 Lincoln 8, Nebraska. 



Montana State University School of Education has 

 published a "Study Guide for Teaching Conserva- 

 tion" which was prepared by a Conservation Work- 

 shop in 1957. This book contains excellent out- 

 lines for integration of Conservation in all classes, 



grades 1-8, together with many library references. 



************* 



What concern is Conservation Education to Dis- 

 trict Supervisors? 



Education is the key to any program. Therefore 

 supervisors must recognize Conservation Educa- 

 tion of highest importance, for only a conserva- 

 tion-minded people can safe guard and improve 

 our remaining heritage of renewable resources in 

 the future. Contacts must be made with educators 

 to get the job done if it is not being done, to assist, 

 encourage, plan, provide. 



Supervisors know that many times the lessons of 

 conservation teaching that the parents otherwise 

 would not hear reach the ears of adults from the 

 mouths of children. 



Supervisors, why not make a date to visit your 

 local School Superintendent, and talk Conserva- 

 tion Education? 



I am only one, 



But still I am one. 



I cannot do everything. 



But still I can do something; 



And because I cannot do everything 



I will not refuse to do something that 



I can do. 



— EDWARD EVERETT HALE 



