Warriors Path State Park Ranger Marty Silver holds a great horned owl during his presentation to fourth-graders at Keep Kingsport Beautiful’s Conservation Camp.
Warriors Path State Park Ranger Marty Silver holds a great horned owl during his presentation to fourth-graders at Keep Kingsport Beautiful’s Conservation Camp.
More than 500 students from the Kingsport, Bristol and Sullivan County school systems recently participated in the Keep Kingsport Beautiful Conservation Camp.
Sharon Hayes, director of Keep Kingsport Beautiful, said the camp, held at the Eastman Recreation Area, helped students learn about several environmental topics through a variety of partners.
“It’s just made a good fit to partner to help educate our youth on environmental matters,” Hayes said.
The camp was started in 2001 by Judy Hagan and in the past it has been a three-day camp. This year it was a two-day camp and the first time Keep Kingsport Beautiful was able to hold the event after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hayes said in 2019 there were 900 children who attended.
The camp is held in September for children from Kingsport, Bristol and Sullivan County schools. Hayes said some home-schooled students also attended this year.
The children got to participate in a variety of activities with Marty Silver, park ranger at Warriors Path State Park.
They also got to hear about how to identify wildlife through skins and skulls, why pollination is important and industry’s role in conservation.
Presenters included Eastman, Domtar Packaging, the Tennessee Division of Forestry, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Hands On! Regional Museum, the Yuchi Nation, Kingsport City Stormwater Department, Bays Mountain Park, Warriors Path State Park and Nuclear Fuel Services.
Conservation Camp is sponsored by Republic Services. Keep Kingsport Beautiful is a nonprofit organization of the Kingsport Chamber and the city of Kingsport.
“Keep Kingsport Beautiful has always worked closely with our community partners, and educating our young people is of utmost importance to many of the presenters,” Hayes said.
