2020 Virtual Junior Conservation Camp

Youth Environmental Program Director Annette Hoskins welcomes campers to this year's "Virtual" Junior Conservation Camp.

Junior Conservation Camp is the highlight of the summer for the DEP's Youth Environmental Program. If you'd like to learn more, here's Tom Aluise with a brief introduction.

Did you know that one out of every three bites of food we eat relies on pollinators? Everyone know the important role bees play but the DEP's Sara Prior introduces us to some other pollinators that play an important role, too.

• About Pollinators: Learn more about pollinators from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Pollination for Kids: Cool Kid Facts explores pollination.
• Pollinator Education: Educational resources from the Pollinator Partnership
• Pollinators: Learn more about pollinators from Kids Growing Strong.

Plastic water bottles can be turned into art using markers and a pair of scissors. The DEP's Beth Henry-Vance shows us how.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. We can all help reduce the amount of waste that enters the nation's landfills, or worse yet, is illegally dumped into the environment by following the "Three Rs". The DEP's Shanti Amos explains.

In this video, Jesse King from the West Virginia Division of Forestry talks about watersheds and shows some home experiments you can do to learn more about stormwater runoff, sedimentation and erosion.

Learn more about watersheds at projectwet.org

Tom Aluise takes a look at our planet's most precious resource - water, and how seven billion people depend on it. While about 70% of Earth's surface is covered by water, only a small fraction is fresh, accessible, drinkable water - a drop in the bucket, so to speak.

• Countries Facing Water Crisis: Nearly 1.8 billion people in seventeen countries, or a quarter of the world’s population, appear to be veering towards a water crisis—with the potential of severe shortages in the next few years.
• Global Water Crisis Facts: As the population of the world grows and the environment becomes further affected by climate change, access to fresh drinking water dwindles.

Susan Parker is having an Insect Scavenger Hunt and you're invited to come along. Learn what differentiates insects from other organisms and the different stages of their life cycles.

• Nature Now: As a school partner, Potomac Valley Audubon Society is creating educational resources for teachers and parents to use for online learning during this challenging time.
• Handbook for Insects: An insect handbook produced by the North Carolina State Extension service.
• Monarch Butterflies: Monarch Butterflies Craft and Activity Book

Sgt. Greg Mullens with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has the information young hunters need to know to make their first trip into the woods a safe one. Topics covered are how guns work, important firearm safety practices and West Virginia hunting regulations that apply to young hunters.

Trees are more like us than you may realize. Shanti Amos has the details.

Learn more about urban forestry from the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

A Nature Journal is a great way to document your adventures and observations in the outdoors. Sara Prior has some tips to get you started.

Beth Henry-Vance teaches techniques of rock painting - a fun craft that you can do to create some cool decorations.

Learn more: Easy Painted Rocks That Are Fun to Make & Tips!

Gather around the (virtual) campfire as we wrap up today's activities with a singalong with Art Shomo.

Recording of Wednesday's webinar - Susan Parker has some amazing owl facts to share.

Tom Aluise explains the seven core principles of Leave No Trace and how to enjoy nature and the outdoors while protecting natural areas from human impacts.

Learn more from the Center for Outdoor Ethics

Beth Henry-Vance shows another option besides the compost heap for you vegetable kitchen scraps.

In chemistry, pH is a scale that is used to specify how acidic or alkaline a water based solution is. Shanti Amos and her husband Doug explain pH and why that's important to the waters of West Virginia.

Join Chris Gatens on a nature hike through Kanawha State Forest as he identifies some of the common plants you're likely to see during a walk through the West Virginia woods.

• Wildlife Plants: Learn about green, photosynthetic plants from the WV Division of Natural Resources.
• West Virginia Native Plant Society: Dedicated to the conservation and appreciation of West Virginia's native plants and habitats.

Jesse King from the West Virginia Division of Forestry explains the science of fire and how different conditions like weather and terrain can speed or slow the spread of a forest fire.

They're not easy to recycle, so Susan Parker has come up with a way to turn plastic bottle caps into art.

• Bottle Cap Crafts for Kids
• Plastic Bottle Cap Crafts

Gather around the (virtual) campfire again as we wrap up today's activities with another singalong with Art Shomo.

The problems associated with plastic pollution in the environment and some of the things you can do to reduce it. Webinar presented by Tom Aluise and Sara Prior of the DEP's Youth Environmental Program as part of this year's Virtual Junior Conservation Camp.

West Virginia has many great flat water paddling spots to explore. DEP Deputy Environmental Advocate Dennis Stottlemyer shows us the basics of paddling a kayak. Topics covered include water safety, setting up your boat, different kayak strokes and proper paddling techniques.

Learn more: Getting Started with Kayaking

Ashley Anderson from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources shows off different skulls, horns, antlers and pelts from some of the state's native wildlife.

Learn more from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

Discovering ways to help prevent water pollution is the subject of the game "Ride the River Rapids". Tomi Bergstrom from the DEP's Watershed Improvement Branch gives us a tour and a lesson on non-point source pollution.

Doug and Shanti Amos discuss the variety of possible careers in the water industry.

Camp Director Annette Hoskins with a message for everyone who took part in this year's virtual Junior Conservation Camp. We hope to see you all, in person, next summer.