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Youth groups and individuals from around the state received awards totaling more than $15,000 during the recent West Virginia Youth Environmental Day at North Bend State Park in Cairo.
Housed under the state Department of Environmental Protection, the Youth Environmental Program hosted its 51st annual Youth Day. This spring’s event drew close to 1,000 young people and their families to North Bend in Ritchie County for camping, educational exhibits, games and other activities.
Awards were presented to youth groups based on participation in community environmental projects such as litter cleanups, recycling drives, school beautification projects, tree planting, backyard composting, wildlife management, watershed protection and much more.
Following is the list of winners who were recognized during the May 17 ceremony:
Rick Vecellio Memorial Scholarship – Joshua Slocum, Boy Scout Troop 32 & Crew 32, Hampshire County. This scholarship is presented to an active Youth Environmental Program member with exemplary conduct throughout his/her school years. Recipient receives $2,500 per year for four years.
West Virginia Forestlands & Wood Products Art Awards – Isiah Ash, Center Point Flyers 4-H Club, Doddridge County (grade school winner); Nathan Doll, Hotshots Shooting Sports 4-H Club, Doddridge County (middle school winner); Adrianna McCoy, Mountaineers 4-H Club, Mason County (high school winner). Three $150 awards are presented for art creations that promote West Virginia’s forest resources or wood products created from these forests.
Sustainable Forestry Art Poster Award – Kamille Bonecutter, Haer Bears 4-H Club, Mason County. This $150 award is presented for the poster that expresses ideas on Sustainable Forestry.
Maple Award (tree planting) – Jersey Mountain Workers 4-H Club, Hampshire County. This $150 award is presented to the youth group completing the best tree-planting project.
Go-Mart Corporation Energy Essay Award – Barett Dudding, Cow Creek Hi Strivers 4-H Club, Putnam County. This $125 award is presented for a winning essay titled, “Energy Options and Ways to Conserve Energy.”
Bear Category Environmental Award – Sandy Pals 4-H Club, Preston County. This $500 award is presented to a youth group completing projects that answer an environmental need, whose members are ages 12-14 years.
Litter Control Award – Mount Clare Mountaineers 4-H Club, Harrison County. This $300 award is presented to a youth group that has completed the most successful litter cleanup projects.
Mountain Laural Category Environmental Award – Midway Getters 4-H Club, Preston County. This $500 award is presented to a youth group that has completed projects addressing an environmental need, whose members are ages 6-11.
Cardinal Art Poster Awards – Anna Schles, Girl Scout Troop 4 & 7, Kanawha County; Luke Sturgeon, Roadrunners 4-H Club, Mason County. Posters must depict an environmental theme. Winners receive either a scholarship to Junior Conservation Camp or State Conservation Camp.
Rick Vecellio Memorial Art Poster Awards – Tra “Alex” Bryan, Haer Bears 4-H Club, Mason County; Julia Parsons, Busy 4’s 4-H Club, Mason County; Josie Hill, Haer Bears 4-H Club, Mason County; Michael King, Mountaineers 4-H Club, Mason County; Keilee Smith, Highland School Hawks Conservation Club, Ritchie County. Each winner presented with $100 for poster that depicts an environmental theme.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin Beautification Award – Highland School Hawks, Ritchie County. This $500 award is presented to the youth group that completes the most outstanding job of community litter prevention, cleanup and beautification.
Keep West Virginia Beautiful Award – Bridge Creek Bandits 4-H Club, Putnam County. This $300 award is presented for the most outstanding litter prevention project conducted for a school.
Mountain State Award of Excellence Environmental Project – Haer Bears 4-H Club, Mason County. This $500 award is for clubs with projects answering an environmental need, that have also won first place in the past two years in the Mountain Laurel, Bear and Rhododendron categories.
DEP Cabinet Secretary Randy C. Huffman Brook Trout Kindergarten Award – Hobo’s Cloverbuds, Mason County. This $200 award is presented to the kindergarten group that completes the most outstanding environmental projects.
Youth Environmental Hall of Fame Awards – Adrianna McCoy, Mountaineers 4-H Club, Mason County; Brad Chattin, Mountaineers 4-H Club, Mason County. These $200 awards are presented to an outstanding girl and boy nominated based on his/her extensive involvement in a club’s community environmental activities.
Streams and Trails Award – Sharp Shooters 4-H Club, Wood County. This $300 award goes to the youth group that has shown the most effort in cleaning a stream and/or building or maintaining a trail.
District Coordinators’ Awards – Mount Clare Mountaineers 4-H Club, Harrison County; Greensburg Go-Getters 4-H Club, Berkeley County; Horner Busy Bees 4-H Club, Lewis County; Hinton Helping Hands 4-H Club, Summers County; South Charleston High School, Kanawha County; Belleville 4-H Cloverbuds, Wood County. These $200 awards are given to youth groups in each of the six districts in recognition of their overall community environmental efforts.
Environmental Achievement Award – Boy Scout Troop 129 and Cub Scout Pack 129, Wood County. This $300 award is presented to a newly enrolled youth group that has shown the most progress through participation in community environmental projects.
Rhododendron Category Environmental Award – Belleville 4-H Club, Wood County. This $500 award is presented to a youth group completing projects that answer an environmental need, whose members are ages 15 years and older.
Recycling Award – Sand Hill Explorers 4-H Club, Wood County. This $300 award is presented to a youth group with the best overall recycling projects.
Wildlife Management Award – Cub Scout Pack 47, Wood County. This $300 award is presented to a youth group completing a wildlife management project that encompasses food, water and cover for West Virginia’s wildlife.
Recycling Education and Awareness Award – Mountaineers 4-H Club, Mason County. This $300 award is given to the youth group with the best community recycling education and awareness project based on club and community involvement.
Save Our Streams Award – Highland School Hawks Conservation Club, Ritchie County. This $300 award is given to the youth group whose project(s) meets the goals of the Save Our Streams Program.
DuPont Washington Works Plastic Recycling Award – Fairview 4-H Club, Wood County. This $300 award is presented to the youth group that has completed the most exceptional project(s) that integrates recycling a variety of plastics.
Environmental Education Award – Busy 4’s 4-H Club, Mason County. This award is presented to the youth group that has completed the most outstanding work in environmental education.
Watershed Protection Award – Roane-Jackson Technical Center FFA Chapter, Jackson County. This $300 award is presented to the youth group that shows the most effort in watershed protection, education and community awareness.
REAP Adopt-A-Spot Award – Schultz Ridge Runners 4-H Club, Pleasants County. This award is presented to the youth group with an Adopt-A-Spot that has maintained the spot with three reported cleanups and that has planted and maintained flowers on the spot for each blooming season.
REAP Recycling Power Point Presentation Award – Haer Bears 4-H Club, Mason County. This award was created for those youth groups wishing to step up their involvement in environmental activities by creating a recycling Power Point presentation.
North Bend Clean & Green Award – Cub Scout Pack 47, Wood County. This $200 award is presented to the youth group that completes the most outstanding job of helping keep North Bend State Park clean and green.
West Virginia State Parks Superintendents Association Award – Go-Getters 4-H Club, Mason County. This $300 award was established by the late Steve Boler, superintendent of Pipestem, to foster relationships between local youth groups and state parks, forests and wildlife management areas.