Our primary mission is to educate individuals of all ages on how to utilize natural resources and conserve soil and water. We are involved in environmental educational programs at schools, community and nonprofit events and state-wide programs.
We offer a diverse range of interactive environmental education programs, connecting our community to local soil and water resources. Furthermore, our educational resources cater to schools, homeschools, scout and youth groups, providing opportunities such as interactive programs, online informational videos, contests, and professional development—all correlated with Ohio’s Learning Standards.
Mahoning SWCD Conservation Education Programs Catalog 2024-2025
For inquiries regarding Mahoning Soil and Water’s offerings for your classroom or to arrange a program, please get in touch with Zack Felger at (330) 740-7995 or via email at zachary.felger@mahoningcountyoh.gov.
We also aim to educate the general public through social media and traditional communication platforms, including our strategic billboard campaigns that include conservation messages and information.
Here are some of the areas for which we provide educational services and resources:
- Farmland preservation
- Frost-seeding
- Pollinator habitat gardens
- Pond technical assistance
- Preventative maintenance related to issues with soil and water
- Rain gardens/rain barrels
- Sandbox topography model
- Stormwater runoff plans
- Stream monitoring and clean-up
- Urban watersheds
- Water quality
- Wildlife food plots
We utilize a sandbox model to teach students and adults about topography.
Educational Committees
- Urban Networking Committee – Our district administrator, Kathleen Vrable-Bryan, is on this committee with other soil & water conservation districts across Ohio. Together, they seek to improve water quality issues.
- State Envirothon Committee – Our district administrator, Kathleen Vrable-Bryan, is one of 10 board members that make up the State Envirothon Committee in Ohio. Each year, the committee organizes a high school competition designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance the youth’s interest in the environment and natural resources. Students are tested on their knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues.
Here’s a billboard we ran to congratulate and support Boardman High School for placing first in the Envirothon.
Key Educational Partners
Alliance for Watershed Action and Resource Education
Mahoning County Education Service Center
National Conservation Foundation – Envirothon
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Ohio Department of Natural Resources