The Burlington County Soil Conservation District is excited to extend a warm invitation to all of the County Schools in joining the Soil Conservation District in an ecological journey. Please take advantage of this great opportunity to adventure into a New Jersey native habitat.    The Soil Conservation will provide guided tours through the outdoor classroom and lessons are available to cater to current in-class activities.  Please contact Tim Robinson  to organize a field trip and agenda.  We look forward to hearing from all of you.    

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a USDA voluntary program for people who want to improve or develop fish and wildlife habitat on non-federal lands.  The program is designed to provide both technical assistance and cost sharing to help establish and enhance habitat.  Through WHIP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial assistance to landowners and others to develop upland, wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitat areas on their property.

Purpose:	To create, enhance or maintain wildlife habitat on school grounds to benefit native wildlife and provide educational opportunities about wildlife habitats.
Eligible Land:	Any non-federal lands owned or controlled by private or public schools and suitable for wildlife habitat.  NRCS does not place limits on the number of acres that can be enrolled in the program.

Cost sharing is authorized for:

Cost sharing is not authorized for:

Cost Share Rate:    75% of the actual cost of habitat improvements.  Maximum total cost share availability to any one school is limited to $2500.

Length of Plan:       Wildlife Habitat Development plan will be written for a minimum of 5 years.  All practices installed must be maintained for the length of the plan.

** Special Eligibility Requirement – In order for schools to be eligible for WHIP cost sharing assistance, at least one teacher will have had to complete a NJ Division of Fish, Game & Wildlife sponsored Project WILD School Site workshop prior to plan implementation.

What Can Students Learn by Doing a Wildlife Habitat

Improvement Project?

How Can My School Get Involved?

No school is too large or too small to undertake a habitat improvement project.  Whether you have less than

1 acre or more than 100, a project can be undertaken.  Patience, planning, commitment and persistence are

all that’s needed.

A WILD School Site workshop requires a minimum of 6 hours with an optional half-day follow up, and a minimum of 10 teachers.  You do not need to be a science teacher to take on this project, nor do you need to have the entire school take part thought the support will be beneficial.  The workshop should be attended by custodial staff, key administrators, parents, and any interested community members in addition to teaching staff. The workshop process enables team building, familiarizes teachers with the resources they already have on their school grounds, encourages interdisciplinary planning, and provides information on wildlife, landscaping, resources and suggestions for how to get a project started.

To learn more about the WHIP program, log onto the NRCS web site in New Jersey or contact the Burlington County Soil Conservation District.

Teachers, educators, and other participants attending Project WILD School Site workshops will be given the resources to create an outdoor classroom right at their own school

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Arbor Day Celebrations

The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in the state of Nebraska.  It was the creation of Julius Sterling Morton who felt that Nebraska’s landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees.  Nebraska made it an annual legal holiday in 1885, using April 22^nd to coincide with Morton’s birthday.

Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day although the dates may vary in keeping with the local climate.  In 1970, President Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day.  New Jersey follows this tradition and celebrates Arbor Day on the last Friday in April as well.  Arbor Day has gained so much momentum that it is now celebrated in other countries including Australia, with variations in Japan, Israel, Korea, Yugoslavia, and Iceland. 

For the homeowner, Arbor Day is an excellent opportunity to take stock of the trees on your property and plan for the future.  Think about how planting new trees might improve the look of your property, provide wind or heat protection, or provide shelter or food for wildlife.

In keeping with Arbor Day celebrations, the Burlington County Soil Conservation District presents every school, public and private, in Burlington County with a complementary ornamental tree in April.  If your school is not receiving a tree or would like more information, contact the education coordinator at the Burlington County Soil District at 609-267-7410. 

Please bring the receipt in which you have received prior to Arbor Day on the day of the Arbor Day pickup.  The pickup will take place on...

Arbor Day Presentation IDEAS!

Click Here to Get Form

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Today’s Acorns = Tomorrow’s Trees

Poster Contest

Each year the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts (NJSCD) sponsors, along with other co-sponsors, a conservation poster contest.  The poster contest is designed to promote a greater awareness and broader understanding of our environment.  The topic changes every year with the 2009 theme being “Dig It!  The Secrets of Soil”.

Due to budget restraints, the Burlington County Soil Conservation District will have to postpone this years active participation in the annual poster contest.  However, the Burlington County Soil Conservation will accept any posters that are complete and are within the state rules.  BSCD will judge the top three posters and submit the winner for each group, as done in previous years.  Sorry for the bad news.

There are four levels of competition in which students may participate; grades 2-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12.  The Burlington County Soil Conservation District will select winners and award cash prizes for the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners in each level or tier.  First place District level winners will also be entered in the state level competition and receive savings bonds.    For more information or to receive a copy of the contest rules and format, contact the environmental coordinator at the Burlington County Soil Conservation District. 

Pictured above is Julia Wu, 2008 New Jersey place winner, accompanied with BSCD's Board Members.  Right to left: Theodore Zeller, Thomas Budd, Cathy Costa, Julia Wu, and Donald Knezick

Posters will be evaluated on the following criteria:

·        Conservation message (50 percent)

·        Visual effectiveness (30 percent)

·        Originality (10 percent)

·        Universal appeal (10 percent)

The Burlington County Soil Conservation District would like to thank all of the participants who took time to illustrate "water is life". Through all of the participates' efforts, water conservation has strengthened in New Jersey.  We thank you again and hope all will continue to educate themselves along with their peers in the conserving efforts, which were illustrated by the following great talents.  If everyone does a little, a lot can be done.

The educational coordinator at the District can create and present environmentally sensitive material in your classroom, free of charge.  Even though the District focuses its attention on soil erosion, we can cater a program to meet your specific needs and topic.  Topics may include wildlife issues, water pollution and prevention, conservation issues, watersheds, soil and soil issues, just to name a few.