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, which will be held June 5-9, at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton, Georgia. Usually, the week-long conservation camp is only open to Georgia students, but through the sponsorship of V.I. RC&D and the V.I. Urban Forestry Council, over 48 Virgin Islands 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, they will get a taste of college life while spending an entire week on the ABAC campus. Although the focus is on Georgias 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 camps counselors and instructors, who are professional personnel from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, USDA-NRCS, Georgia Forestry Commission, U.S. Fish & 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 & Community Forestry Assistance Program.
