Roundtable receives grant from American Electric Power Foundation

American Electric Power Foundation invited the Roundtable to apply for a $25,000 grant, which was approved for the Saltville Outdoor Classroom improvements. This grant, combined with existing funds, should provide enough to complete the outdoor classroom, which is adjacent to the Salt Trail.

Pictured left to right are Karen Gilmer of AEP and Roundtable treasurer; Carol Doss, Roundtable executive director; and Dustin Keith, board chair.

Twin Springs HS student wins design contest for Clinch River Youth Summit

An original T-shirt design contest ranked as one highlight of the Ninth Annual Clinch River Youth Summit that featured speakers talking about mussels, watersheds, citizen science and mountain chorus frogs, wildlife, and more. Students and teachers from four schools participated Saturday in the Summit at the UVA Wise Oxbow Center in St. Paul.

After breakout sessions with presenters, the students discussed innovative ideas for projects they want to implement at their schools this spring. Mini grants are available for these projects from the Roundtable, funded by Virginia Department of Forestry.

Tennessee Valley Authority also provided funds to the Roundtable for the Summit.

Shown at top right are the winners of the T-shirt design contest: Katlyn Deel, first place, from Twin Springs High School. Tied for second are Blair Taylor and Kaylynn Cozart from Gate City High School.

Photo underneath the winners' photo shows Clinch Valley Soil and Water Conservation District's augmented reality sand table a featured session at the Summit led by Brandon Blevins and Hannah Rexrode.

UVA Wise Associate Professor of Biology Wally Smith shown at right chairs the Clinch River Valley Initiative's Environmental Education Action Team that planned this event. Wally served as emcee for the Youth Summit and presented a session on Citizen Science featuring Mountain Chorus Frogs and other species.

Natural Tunnel State Park educators Megan Roark and Lillian Morris, shown below, presented on Wildlife Wonders, and Terry Vencil, director of Wetlands Estonoa, to the right, presented on mussels and the wetlands.

Photos by Sarah Romeo, executive director for the Clinch River Valley Initiative; April Addington, teacher at Twin Springs High School, and Carol Doss.

Thank you to Sarah and April for sharing!

Teach The Clinch 2.0

Workshops offer books, lesson kits for teachers

Teachers and non-formal educators gathered for a Teach The Clinch 2.0 workshop at Natural Tunnel State Park where they received a book and four free lesson kits to use in their classrooms. At right, Natural Tunnel educator Megan Roark teaches a lesson about sinkholes. In the photo below, Isaac Stanley and Dawn Williams participate in a recycling activity led by Ethan Howes, an educator at the park.

The next workshops are Thursday, March 23, 4-6:30 p.m. at Cafe Azalea in Norton; Saturday, April 1 at the all day Clinch River Environmental Education Symposium at the Oxbow Center in St. Paul, and Saturday, April 15, all day at Natural Tunnel State Park. You may email uppertnriver@yahoo.com to sign up for any of these workshops or click the link below.