New Castle Conservation District
"Dedicated to Soil
and Water Management"
Education and Outreach
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. Below are some of the annual events you can typically find us at:
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White Clay Creek Fest
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Blackbird Creek Fall Festival
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University of Delaware Ag Day
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DE Envirothon
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.
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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.
Additionally, we offer a urban farmer and community gardener training program called the New Ground Grower Series.
Learn more about it by visiting www.deuffc.org/new-ground-growers
Rick Mickowski doing a classroom program on non-point source pollution
Odessa High School FFA and Agriscience Team won the 2025 Delaware Envirothon, breaking Charter School of Wilmington’s 22-year Envirothon winning streak. Left to right are team members Kalena Diaz, Joseph Delaney, Zachary Binnie, Nathaniel Sutton and Keith Schmid /DNREC photo
Delaware Envirothon
The Delaware Envirothon, sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, is used to instruct high school students statewide 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:
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aquatic ecology
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soil/land use
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forestry
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wildlife
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air quality
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public speaking
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a current environmental topics (a different one each year)
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For more information and program specifics, visit www.delawareenvirothon.org.​​
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This year, 11 high schools and one 4-H club set a Delaware Envirothon record with a total 22 teams. The competition was held at Blackbird State Forest Education Center in Townsend. Each team answered questions, reviewed specimens, and took measurements in topics dealing with aquatic ecology, soils/land use, wildlife, forestry and the current environmental issue of “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.” Teams also had to give a seven- to 10-minute oral presentation of a scenario based on the current issue.
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Congratulations to Odessa High School FFA and Agriscience on winning First Place in the 2025 Delaware Envirothon!
The official results for the state competition are as follows:
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First place – Odessa High School FFA and Agriscience
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Second place – Charter School of Wilmington, CSW Force
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Third place – Newark Charter School Aquaholics
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Fourth place – Charter School of Wilmington, CSW Calculators
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Fifth place – Charter School of Wilmington CSW Lightning
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Sixth place – Newark Charter High School EcoManiacs
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Seventh place – Calvary Christiana Academy CCA Green Queens
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 second through seventh place teams received ribbons and cash prizes in the form of gift cards. The first-place team will represent Delaware at the 2025 National Conservation Foundation (NCF) International Envirothon to be held in Alberta, Canada, from July 20 to 26, 2025.
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The Delaware Envirothon is hosted by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), a voluntary, non-profit association that coordinates conservation efforts statewide to focus on natural resource issues identified by Delaware’s three local districts.
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In addition to DNREC, major sponsors include the Delaware Solid Waste Authority, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Sussex Conservation District, the Kent Conservation District, and the New Castle Conservation District, along with many other smaller donors.
The 2023 Delaware Envirothon Annual Report is now available!​​​
Conservation Poster Contest Â
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. You can
Click to download the Contest Rules Here.
Past themes have included:
​"May the Forest Be With You, Always"- 2024
"One Water"- 2023
"Healthy Soil, Healthy Life" - 2022
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The posters are judged at the county and state levels and cash prizes are awarded to
winners in each grade category.
Check below for more information about the 2023 winners!
For further questions, you can contact Mikaileigh Baker via email or phone (302) 498 - 4678, or visit the National Association of Conservation District's website.
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The 2024 Poster Contest is CLOSED.​
The 2025 poster contest will be announced in late summer.
Congratulations to the 2023 Conservation Poster Contest Winners!
All county-level winners receive a certificate and a gift card - $50 for first place, $25 for second place, and $15 for third place. A panel of judges from DNREC then review the 1st place posters from each Conservation District to select state winners. The state winners receive a $50 cash award from the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts. They are then submitted to the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) for national-level judging. The winners are then announced in February as part of the NACD National Meeting.
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Click on the photos to see the whole image.Â
Anakin K.
1st Place
North Star Elementary School
** National Winner**
K - 1st Grade
Rayzel J.
1st Place
Everett Meredith Middle School
7th - 9th Grade
Genevieve F.
1st Place
Appoquinimink High School ** National Winner**
10th - 12th Grade
Digital Posters
Caspian D.
1st Place
Linden Hill Elementary School
2nd - 3rd Grade
Maya Z.
1st Place
Louis L. Redding Middle School
7th - 9th Grade
Digital Posters
Rafael O.
1st Place
Crystal Run Elementary School
4th - 6th Grade
Josephine P.
1st Place
Brandywine High School
10th - 12th Grade
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:
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Conservation activity booklets
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Conservation coloring books
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Posters
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Bookmarks​
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 District staff for an update on what’s available and for more information.