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Published on 06/02/16

4-H20 camp teaches Georgia youth about sustainable water management

By Kenzie Kesselring

A blend of fun and education, the Mitchell County 4-H20 day camp is designed to introduce students to the importance of water conservation and irrigation. The three-day camp is held every year, and will include a visit to the University of Georgia C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park in Camilla, Georgia, on June 22.

“We can really educate any student, from the experienced to the inexperienced,” said Calvin Perry, Stripling research park superintendent and co-organizer of the event.

The camp will be held Tuesday, June 21, to Thursday, June 23, and is open to all county 4-H clubs throughout Georgia. 4-H’ers from north Florida and southeast Alabama are also welcome to the water camp. Perry, Mitchell County UGA Cooperative Extension Coordinator Jennifer Grogan and Mitchell County 4-H Associate Debra Cox are working together to ensure that campers learn while having a wonderful time.

Activities and speakers at the camp will cover topics including the amount of water it takes to make clothing and food, the best ways to conserve water and the importance of water irrigation to farmers. “We have different activities and speakers dealing with water every year, and they are always fun and educational,” said Grogan.

“On the first day of the camp, the 4-H’ers will go to the Flint RiverQuarium in Albany, Georgia, where the educational manager, Melissa Martin, and her volunteers will teach classes about aquatic animals and their habitats. On the second day, 4-H’ers will travel to the Stripling research park, followed by a visit to Water World in Dothan, Alabama, on June 23,” Cox said.

“Last year we had a record number of campers attend, and each year you never know which counties will come,” said Grogan. Around 160 campers attended last year. A similar turnout is expected again this year.

Perry wants to assure parents that their children will have fun and be in great hands at the 4-H20 day camp this summer.

“The youth and adults are going to have a great time in a safe environment while learning about water and other natural resources,” said Perry.

For more information on the 4-H20 day camp, contact the Mitchell County Extension office at (229) 336-2066.

(Kenzie Kesselring is an intern on the UGA Tifton Campus.)

Authors:
Kenzie Kesselring
Experts/Sources:
Calvin D. Perry
Jennifer B. Grogan
Endue Brown, a Sumter County 4-H'er, collects water from an irrigation pivot during a previous 4-H20 camp. Jimmie Humphries, a Terrell County 4-H'er, gets cooled off under an irrigation pivot during a previous 4-H20 camp. Sydni Barwick, a student at the UGA Tifton Campus, speaks about irrigation use in agriculture during a previous 4-H20 camp held at the Stripling Irrigation Research Park.
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