The Lexington Soil and Water Conservation District offers many educational programs. Each year, the district sponsors numerous opportunities for the youth of Lexington County to participate in. Some of those opportunities are listed below:

  Arbor Day
National Arbor Day the First Friday in December.  Three school districts are participating in the Arbor Day activities with the Lexington Soil and Water Conservation District and the County Landscape Administrator.  For more information, click on this Arbor Day link.

Governor's Institute for Natural Resource Conservation
The S.C. Governor's Institute for Natural Resource Conservation (SCINRC) is held each June at Lander University in Greenwood, SC for a week. The district will sponsor up to two students (one boy/one girl) from 9th - 12th grade to attend. Applications for the Institute are usually sent out in March to the high school guidance counselors in Lexington County, as well as local newspapers. The deadline for applications is usually the middle to end of April, depending on the week in June the Institute is held.
 

  Envirothon
The S.C. Envirothon Competition is held annually at Clemson University's Sandhills Research and Education Center in Columbia on the first Friday of May. The district sponsors teams from Lexington County to compete in the competition. Teams the district sponsored in 2011 were Chapin High School and White Knoll High School. If you would like to find out more information about the Envirothon program and competition, please click on the above link. Envirothon entry deadline is Monday, April 2, 2012 and the competition is Friday, May 4, 2012.
 

Photography Contest 
The Youth Photography Contest is open to youth in grades 6-12 that are residents of Lexington County. There are two divisions and four categories to participate in. For a complete list of the contest's rules, click on the photography contest link above. The deadline for submitting photos for the contest is April 2, 2012.

Scholarship
The district offers two scholarships to high school seniors who are pursuing a career in the conservation field. The scholarships are in the amount of $1000 and $500. For a scholarship application, click on the link above. The deadline for the scholarship is April 2, 2012.

Another contest the district offers is the Teacher of the Year. This contest is open to all teachers in grades K-12 who demonstrate conservation education inside and outside the classroom. For an application, click on the link above. The deadline for the contest is April 2, 2012.

The Lexington Soil and Water Conservation District offers other educational programs, as well. Some of these programs include instruction on watersheds, wetlands, soils, etc. and are by request only. If you would like us to visit your classroom, please contact the district office.

Did one of our programs interest you?
If so, please contact our office at (803) 359-3165 ext. 3 for additional information.