Dare County, NC
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Education and outreach are important parts of the Dare Soil and Water Conservation District mission. Each year the District conducts programs and contests in the community to foster conservation practices, to understand stormwater pollution, and many other subjects.
Teachers' Conservation Workshop
Conservation has always shaped our culture and lives and continues to do so from great authors and poets like E.O. Wilson, Henry David Thoreau, and John Muir to politically minded conservationists like Teddy Roosevelt Gifford Pinchot, and Hugh Hammond Bennett, to scientists like Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, and Caroline Dormon.
The Teachers' Conservation Workshop is an opportunity for Dare County teachers to get out of the classroom for a day and learn both principles and advanced concepts of conservation. We bring together professionals from a broad range of conservation areas to discuss and share their expertise, knowledge, skills, and passions for conservation. Broad topics are discussed, but presentations are tailored to the coastal ecosystems that are special and prevalent within Dare County.
Attendees will attain knowledge, strategies, skills, resources, and tools for teaching conservation in the classroom. This is a fantastic opportunity for teachers of all disciplines, from science to social studies to literature!
Teachers’ Coastal Conservation Workshop Flyer
Poster Contest
(potentially coming 2025-26 school year)
Envirothon
Students compete in five-member teams about subjects related to natural resources. Envirothon is open to high school and middle school students. The competition tests team knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and current environmental issues. The top scoring teams qualify for advancement to the statewide competition.
Participation is open to any students in middle and high school, including ecology clubs, environmental groups, girl scouts, boy scouts, Vo-Ag groups, FFA Chapters, 4-H Clubs and home study groups. Team members must be from the same school or group and an adviser is required. There may be up to two teams per school (an exception may be considered for Cape Hatteras Secondary School). For additional information, visit the NC Envirothon Program website.
Resource Conservation Workshop
Get Your Hands Dirty & Your Mind Blown at the Resource Conservation Workshop!
Ready to swap screen time for stream time? The Resource Conservation Workshop is a weeklong deep dive into the world of conservation, where you’ll explore natural resources, tackle real-world environmental challenges, and get hands-on with soil, water, forestry, and wildlife. This isn’t just sitting in a classroom—think field studies, outdoor adventures, and behind-the-scenes tours of conservation hotspots. Plus, evening sessions help you navigate college and career choices (because, let’s be real, adulting is coming). Oh, and did we mention scholarships and awards are up for grabs?
You'll be living the college life at NC State, staying in dorms, meeting awesome people, and learning at places like Williams Hall, Lake Wheeler Soils Field Lab, Falls Lake State Recreation Area, and Clemmons State Educational Forest. It’s the perfect mix of hands-on science, outdoor exploration, and future-planning. Please check out this slide presentation one of our 2025 students, Sarah Gray from Manteo High School, put together.
Bonus: It’s free to attend (thanks to our sponsors, including NC State’s Crop and Soil Sciences Department, the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, and other conservation champions). If you’re curious about how to protect the planet—and want to level up your skills for the future—this is the workshop for you. Apply now and get ready for a week of adventure, learning, and maybe even a scholarship! 
The 2026 Resource Conservation Workshop is June 14 -19th. Apply here by March 31, 2025. Send completed applications, essays, and letters of recommendation to the Dare County Community Conservationist, Charlie Sanders (email preferred). Program participants are selected through their local Soil and Water Conservation District.
Counselors
If you’re interested in serving as a counselor please complete this short application by March 31:
Mobile Soils Classroom
The North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation Districts Mobile Soils Classroom is available to provide a variety of concept-based, learner-focused, hands-on demonstrations that will engage people of all ages in learning about soil science, soil management and conservation. Teachers interested in having the mobile classroom come to your school, contact Dare Soil and Water in advance to check availability. The classroom is shared among all the Soil and Water Districts in the eastern region of the state.
Soils Tent
The NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation has provided access to their soils tent for events and education. If you would like to reserve this tent for your educational/environmental event or classroom activity please contact Charlie Sanders at the Dare Soil & Water Conservation District.