Cars began lining up at 1:00 pm for the 3:00 pm free drive-thru food distribution held yesterday in the parking lot of the UF/IFAS Duval County Extension office at 1010 N. McDuff Ave. The event in partnership with Farm Share Jacksonville ended early because of the demand. With cars lining up hours ahead, organizers opened a little early, but were forced to close the queue and everything was distributed by 3:30 pm. Hundreds of families and individuals in need received produce, non-perishable foods, dairy and other items.
“The Coronavirus pandemic has affected our community in unprecedented ways. So many of our neighbors are hurting financially and struggling to provide the most basic necessities for their families. It was an honor for the board to join with other local organizations to assist our neighbors who are most in need,” said Hunter Anderson, Chairman of the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. Special thanks to our community partners: • UF/IFAS Duval County Extension • 4-H • Farm Bureau Women’s Committee • National Resources Conservation Service • City of Jacksonville About Farm Share: Farm Share is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has worked daily for almost 30 years to make sure that food-insecure Floridians receive the food and support they need. In partnership with more than 2,000 food pantries, churches, schools and other nonprofits, Farm Share distributed more than 88 million pounds of food to more than 17.5 million households residing in all of Florida’s 67 counties last year. Check out the story on First Coast News! Food giveaway to be hosted in West Jacksonville Tuesday afternoon
In 2018, the Duval Soil & Water Conservation District launched its Conservation Teacher of the Year award. This award recognizes the work of any K-12 teacher in Duval County who has been involved in both education and action during the past year. The ideal candidate is a principled conservationist who educates students on natural resource conservation practices and initiates student action in their community or school in order to improve quality of life for Duval County residents. All Duval County teachers who have participated in one of the District’s programs during the last year will be considered for recognition as our Conservation Teacher of the Year. This year's deadline in August 30th. Application
Past Winners: 2019 - Kendal Schmidt, Middle School Teacher at The Foundation Academy Highlights: Participation Joe B. Forshee, Jr. Speech and Poster Contest, Monarch Waystation efforts and other student activities that include aquaponic farming and composting 2018 - Dr. Scott P. Sowell, Environmental Science Teacher at Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School Highlights: Participation in Annual Fred B. Miller Envirothon and algae eutrophication experiments with his AP Environmental Science students. The District nominated Dr. Sowell for the Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board's Individual Environmental Achievement award, which he also won. Congratulations to Team Dasher from Darnell Cookman Middle/High School on their 1st place overall win at Fred B. Miller, Jr. Regional Envirothon 2020 hosted by Duval Soil and Water Conservation District! Thank you to the to the Fred B. Miller, Jr. Family and to A. Green Design Co. for their generous sponsorship of this year's competition.
We were pleased to host our "Where Would We BEE Without Pollinators" Speech & Poster Contest this week. Congratulations to our winners! Speech Contest 1st - Aiyanna Jennings, Jean Ribault High School 2nd - Keylee Connell, Landmark Middle School 3rd - Sean Burkey, Landmark Middle School Poster Contest 1st (Grades K-1) - Paisley Edelson, Homeschool 1st (Grades 2-3) - Diesel Sheppherd, Louis S. Sheffield Elementary School 1st (Grades 4-6) - Mallory Joiner, Christ The King Catholic School 1st (Grades 7-9) - Adrian Lewis Brown, KIPP Jacksonville (Impact) 1st (Grades 10-12) - Vivien M. Guillermo, Sandalwood High School The 2020 Fred B. Miller, Jr. Regional Envirothon will take place on March 5th at Tree Hill Nature Center. The Envirothon is a problem-solving, natural resource education program for high school students. This annual competition is a field-oriented program in which student teams learn to use critical thinking skills to answer written questions or conduct hands-on investigations about environmental issues. The Envirothon competition is open to students from the 9th to 12th grade. Five students compete as a team and answer questions about forestry, soils, aquatics, wildlife, and a current issue. The 2020 Envirothon current environmental issue is "Water Resources Management: Local Control and Local Solutions". The winners of the local competitions compete at the Florida Envirothon, and the state winner competes at the National Envirothon. Training workshops for advisors and students will be offered on January 18 and February 15 at Frank H. Peterson Academy. Workshops are free. Registration for the competition is $5 per person, including advisers. Pay Online at www.duvalsoilandwater.com or make checks payable to Duval Soil & Water Conservation District, 260 US Highway 301 North, Baldwin, FL 32234-1440. REGISTRATION FORM: CLICK HERE DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION is February 5, 2020. Contact Joyce Miller, Coordinator, mjmhavingfun@yahoo.com 410-688-2365 (talk or text) with questions. Learn more at https://envirothon.org/. We are excited to again host the annual Speech and Poster Contest! This local contest allows students to compete in the state, and even national contest under the same topic. The winners of the Duval County Speech Contest receives a cash prize, plus one student will get an invite to compete regionally and statewide for grades 6-12th.
The poster contest is an additional way to compete in the competition for grades K-12. The topic for both competitions is "Where Would We BEE Without Pollinators?" and speeches are to be no more than 5-7 minutes. Independent research on the topic works to further educate students in conservation and natural resources, while public speaking provides a host of additional benefits. Artistic skills are called on for the poster contest, and all ages are encouraged to participate. Cash prizes for top winners. We hope that you, a friend, a relative, or a student you know will consider entering in the 2020 annual Joe B. Forshee, Jr. Speech Contest and Poster Contest for Duval County. Entry Deadline: February 19, 2020. All details and forms to complete will be posted to this event in the coming weeks. More details are available at www.tinyurl.com/duvalsoilandwater. Congratulations to Casey Jones on winning our 1st annual conservation photo contest! He will be receiving a cash prize of $50 and his photos of sea turtle hatchlings will be entered in the National Association of Conservation Districts photo contest next month.
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