Conservation Education and Outreach | New Castle Conservation District

Education and Outreach

Top-Edcation

To ensure the protection of New Castle County’s natural resources for future generations, NCCD staff provides a variety of educational outreach through the different formats you'll find below. Our efforts target school children, civic associations, farmers, homeowners, and legislators.

Public Events

The District exhibits at many public events where we engage all ages in activities and distribute conservation materials. These events, located all around New Castle County, are a great way for NCCD to spread conservation and showcase the work we do! Find us at some of these events:

White Clay Creek Fest
Blackbird Creek Fall Festival
University of Delaware Ag Day
New Castle County Farmer's Markets

District display at University of Delaware's Ag Day in 2019.

Educational Programs/Workshops

Non-Point Source Pollution Model

A program can be scheduled to present the Non-Point Source Pollution model where children learn about watersheds, where water goes, and how what we do to the land affects our water quality. The program usually lasts around 20-30 minutes. To schedule this program contact Rick Mickowski.

Urban Agriculture Workshops

NCCD does a variety of workshops on urban agriculture topics that can be adapted for any audience. If you are interested in scheduling a workshop for your organization or want to learn more about our offerings, contact Madison Walter.

To learn more about the Grow It Yourself program, our container gardening workshop series, check out our Urban Agriculture program page.

Rick Mickowski doing a classroom program on non-point source pollution

Charter School of Wilmington Team A - 2023 Delaware Envirothon champion.jpg

Charter School of Wilmington Team A won the school’s 21st straight Delaware Envirothon championship today at DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center on the Delaware Bayshore near Smyrna. Left to right are team members Mukta Kantak,Tiffany Situ, Zavior Brown, Dhriti Tattari and Amber Wong. /DNREC photo

Delaware Envirothon

The Delaware Envirothon, sponsored by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts, is used to instruct high school students in conservation methods, promote the conservation message, and highlight potential career choices to students. Teams of five students compete in different environmental challenges in the areas of:

aquatic ecology
soil/land use
forestry
wildlife
air quality
public speaking
a current environmental topics (a different one each year)

For more information and program specifics, visit www.delawareenvirothon.org.

The Delaware Envirothon marked its 28th anniversary in 2023. High school students representing nine schools and one 4-H team competed for the title of 2023 Delaware Envirothon champions and to win college scholarships and prizes. The competition was held at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Aquatic Resources Education Center on the Delaware Bayshore near Smyrna and tested students’ knowledge and practical application of various environmental topics, including this year’s current environmental topic, "Adapting to a Changing Climate.”

Congratulations to Charter School of Wilmington Team A on winning First Place in the 2023 Delaware Envirothon!

The official results for the state competition are as follows:

First place: Charter School of Wilmington Team A

Second place: Newark Charter High School Thneed for Speed

Third place: Odessa High School FFA Team

Fourth place: Peach Blossom 4-H/Lake Forest FFA

Fifth place: Polytech High School Dirt Diggers

Sixth place: Odessa High School The Under Ducks

Seventh place: Calvary Christian Academy Climate Heroes

Each member of the winning team earned a $500 college scholarship from the Delaware Envirothon and the team will receive an award plaque for their school. The first-place team will represent Delaware at the 2023 National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon to be held at Mount Allison University in Tantramar (Sacksville), New Brunswick, Canada from July 23 to 29.

The 2022 Delaware Envirothon Annual Report is now available!

Poster Contest

Conservation Poster Contest

NCCD serves as the local sponsor for the annual National Conservation Poster Contest. Students in grades K-12, from public, private, and home schools, create posters centered around a different conservation theme each year. Past themes have included:

"Healthy Soil, Healthy Life" - 2022

"Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities"- 2021

"Where Would We BEE Without Pollinators"- 2020

The posters are judged at the county and state levels and cash prizes are awarded to

winners in each grade category. Check below to see this past year's winners!

The NACD 2023 poster contest "One Water" is now accepting submissions! This contest is open to al public, private, and home-schooled students in grades K-12. You can

Click to download the Contest Rules Here.

If you have further questions, contact Rick Mickowski at (302) 365-8979, or visit the National Association of Conservation District's website.

The 2023 Poster Contest is now OPEN! Deadline to submit a poster is October 27th at 4:30pm.

Submission should be emailed to Rick Mickowski at rick.mickowski@delaware.gov or dropped at the conservation office located at 2430 Old County Rd, Newark

Educational Materials

The District has a variety of educational materials focused on conservation topics for children from kindergarten through 6th grade. These materials are free of cost for class room teachers, but are subject to current availability. Examples of the types of materials include:

Conservation activity booklets
Conservation coloring books
Posters
Bookmarks

In celebration of the 2023 Soil and Water Stewardship Week, "One Water," check out this publication geared to teachers and parents for use in the classroom.

One Water Educator's Guide

Past Stewardship Week resources can be found on the NACD's website,

In addition, the District staff is available to do presentations using the Enviroscape watershed model. Contact Rick Mickowski to schedule a classroom visit.

Contact Rick Mickowski for an update on what’s available and for more information.

Education and Outreach Photo Gallery

Congratulations to the 2022 Conservation Poster Contest Winners!

A panel of judges from DNREC reviewed the 1st place posters from each Conservation District/County to select state winners. All of the state winners came from New Castle County! The state winners receive a $50 cash award from the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts. The state winners are submitted to the National Association of Conservation Districts for national level judging. The winners will be announced in February as part of the NACD national virtual conference. All county-level winners receive a certificate and a gift card - $50 for first place, $25 for second place, and $15 for third place.