By Lowell Collins, OS Community Engagement Chair & Youth Grants Vice-Chair
Last Fall, Brittany Berry’s Tyson Middle School students headed out to work on their conservation projects on Clear Creek in Johnson, AR.
Clear Creek is wooded with native flowers along gravel banks. Ms. Berry guided two young men on setting up a 360” video of the area, giving them full creative license on how they might capture their surroundings. The young men wasted no time working out how to use the equipment, which by the way, was recently acquired through an OS Youth Grant. After the outing, they returned to school and edited the video, making their own choices in regard to the natural features they wished to share with their classmates. It was an outstanding experience. Ms. Berry’s 2024 project was to purchase underwater and 360̊ camera equipment for students to create video experiences in six natural areas in NWA to be shared with classmates who have had minimal exposure to the natural environment. The hope is that the enthusiasm of those creating and sharing the videos will encourage interest in our natural surroundings, and that they too, will want to go out and explore these places in person.
In the meantime, Suzanne Murphy, of Illinois River Watershed Partnership, helped a group of students don waders and gather the equipment, recently funded by an OS Youth Grant, to collect water samples of the late summer aquatic life. Ms. Murphy assisted the students in examining the collected samples identifying invertebrates in the stream as well as a tiny little crawfish. As they worked, she explained the role of the invertebrates in determining stream health. Following identification, they recorded the data of what is living in the stream to be compiled with prior STREAM Team monitoring visits. Adding their findings to the overall STREAM Team project, demonstrated to the young participants that their contributions make a difference.
Ms. Berry and Ms. Murphy, both OS Youth Grant recipients, demonstrate a strong desire to engage these kids in conservation. They believe that through hands-on experience monitoring the stream, students will learn to value water quality and recognize how people impact that water. Like the student photographers, they hope that the shared visual experience will nudge kids to get out and discover local natural areas.
OS Youth Grants has funded 33 projects impacting 7,500 youth since its inception in 2020. Every dollar donated to the OS Youth Grant fund goes to support the projects.
2024 Youth Grant Funding Success
The Ozark Society Board has challenged the Youth Grant Program to build a financial foundation to be sustainable as the impactful program moves forward. The Youth Grant Fund was established in 2020 to engage youth in hands-on conservation projects and added as a membership donation option in 2024.
In 2024, 41 members donated a total of $15,372 to the youth grants fund to provide ongoing support to the mission of engaging youth in hands-on conservation. We are grateful to anonymous donors for a matching gift challenge of $2,500 as well as a $10,000 donation to provide a solid foundation of funding for this grant cycle. Thank you to all our donors!!!!!