Indiana County Conservation District’s (ICCD) PMSC AmeriCorps environmental members, Blake Mauthe and Allison Smith are getting environmental education done this fall all across Indiana County–and its already yielding incredible results. From the 2023 Indiana County Junior Envirothon, to Apple Fest 2023, and everywhere in between, Mauthe and Smith are bringing out the very best of Indiana County’s youth, children, and families to educate, engage, and empower for lasting positive impact
Each year, ICCD hosts the Junior Envirothon for the county’s 7th and 8th students. This year, students from across the county gathered at Brue Spruce Park for a day of hands-on instruction from natural resource professionals including aquatic biologists, foresters, soil scientists, wildlife specialists and environmental technicians from county, state and federal agencies, as well as other environmental organizations. Tammie Robinson, ICCD’s Envirothon Coordinator, explained that the event is designed to help students, “learn how every aspect of our environment is interconnected…and to promote mindfulness about the environment.” Then, learners showcase their new knowledge in a series of competitive tests.
PMSC’s Blake Mauthe knew that he could utilize his interest in migratory birds to lead a workshop for students on “how climate change has affected their populations as well as increasing diseases such as West Nile Virus, Lyme’s Disease, and the Avian Flu.” In his workshop, Mauthe provided concrete, real-world examples of changes in the Western PA environment and the impacts that middle school students could comprehend. Mauthe noted, for example, how data collected by the National Weather Service indicates colder temperatures are taking longer to reach the region compared to decades ago. This delay in freeze causes Canadian geese to stay in the area much longer than previously. Because of the increase in goose droppings, e. coli threatens area lakes, and the past several summers some area lakes have closed for swimmers at times because of the unsafe bacteria build-up. For jr. high students, thinking about the direct impact on their summer activities helped them to understand why the changes in regional climate matter to their everyday lives. Marion Center 7th grader, Wesley, loved his time at the Jr. Envirothon, because, “it’s a day to…get away from school…and we can learn about…wildlife, like birds, wildfires…and it’s just a great time to be here.” With a day out of the school building for outdoor education, a healthy competition to engage even the least interested learners, and the sounds of crunching leaves beneath their feet to spur them on, Mauthe and the ICCD team developed a perfect recipe to engage middle schoolers.
Fueled by a passion to empower Indiana County residents of all ages, Blake and Allison hit the ground running at the start of their service term in August, to plan and promote October’s 2023 Apple Fest. Smith and Mauthe explained that the event was designed to bring families outdoors for a day of environmental education and fun as well as, “encourage local farmers to diversify their crops.” Sleepy Hallow Orchard, Indiana, PA, and Lone Oak Farm, Marion Center, PA, supported by a donation from Barb Peace, provided hundreds of pounds of apples that volunteers turned into nearly a hundred gallons of sweet, fresh, local apple cider for festival goers to sample and take home. Empowering local farmers to explore adding new crops to their fields through grant funding, the ICCD is able to educate the public through events like the Apple Fest– with a hope to encourage stewarding of local resources and promoting of local economy. Over 500 participants came out on a chilly October afternoon to learn, grow, and to taste the literal fruits of these efforts.
Mauthe and Smith maximized the potential impact of Apple Fest 2023 to engage fellow PMSC AmeriCorps members, Emma Sprowls and Emily Rahalla who are serving Western PA Conservancy. Sprowls and Rahalla spent the afternoon educating festivalgoers on the water quality and homeowner benefits of planting riparian buffers along local waterways. They also shared ways to benefit local watersheds– by using water wisely to maintain natural water supply, by preserving trees and shrubs along streambanks to prevent erosion, by planting native plants along stream banks to maintain cooler water temperatures and encourage stream bank integrity, and by limiting overuse of fertilizer or large amounts of chemicals because many “weeds” and insects can benefit the local habitats.
Educating, engaging, and empowering Indiana County’s children, youth, and adults of all ages, Blake Mauthe, Emily Rahalla, Allison Smith, and Emma Sprowls are four PMSC AmeriCorps 2023-2024 environmental stewardship members who are taking seriously the charge to get things done for the land, waterways, and people under their care. Educating the next generation and empowering local residents to make small changes that can yield big impacts, these four members exemplify what it means to bring out the best of America–in their very own neighborhoods.
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