Seminole County FFA Receives $1000 Flint River Southwest Conservation District Education Grant
Each year, the Flint River Southwest Conservation District awards $1000 grants to K-12 educators in southwest Georgia counties to fund special projects which will enhance student knowledge of the environment and its importance. After creating a proposal, Seminole County FFA was awarded a grant for the 2022-2023 school year titled “Wildlife Management Education.”
Through this grant, Seminole County FFA will use the funds to purchase training materials for the Wildlife Management Career Development Event. Career Development Events are contests hosted by the Georgia FFA Association which test student’s knowledge in areas related to agriculture. In the Wildlife Management CDE, students are divided into the categories of Whitetail Deer Management, Game Bird Biology, General Wildlife Identification, and Aquatic Management. Within these categories, students must be able to identify the animals by their mounts, skulls, furs, calls or scat, and they must be familiar with the hunting regulations and conservation efforts as published by the Department of Natural Resources. The materials purchased will help train a Junior and a Senior team of four students each who will compete against other FFA Chapters in Georgia.
These materials will also be used to host educational events to teach younger students about the importance of identifying and conserving our natural resources and wildlife. In Seminole County, we are surrounded by wildlife and natural resources from Lake Seminole to the populations living within the county’s habitats. It is important for students to not only be able to identify these resources but to be able to wisely use them so that they will be available for generations to come. It is the goal of Seminole County FFA through this project to further the education of students in our district in wildlife education.
Pictured is Seminole County’s 2021 Junior Wildlife Management Team who competed at the Area Career Development Event. From left to right they are Coltin Alday competing in Whitetail Deer Management, Miley Grimsley competing in Game Bird Biology, Mya Vickers competing in Aquatic Management, and Cullen Hicks competing in General Wildlife Identification.