When it comes to protecting Tennessee’s wild places, most folks think of state funded parks or private groups raising millions of dollars to buy land and set it aside. But really, protecting the Wild Side starts at home, with the people who live here. Things we do every day, from the water we use, to where we put our trash or how we tend our yard or run the farm, affect nature in profound ways.
This is why learning how nature works and how our actions can impact it is so important. Recently a group of 4-H students participated in a “hands-on” field day on a private farm in Hardin County. While many of the students will go on to careers in wildlife management or agriculture, others will not. But as Wild Side Guide Ken Tucker found out, the lessons learned can be used no matter where life leads them.
The students had such a good time on their field day learning experience, they can’t wait for the next one. We don’t have any pictures of it because the crew was too busy eating, but we’re told the best part of the day was the steak lunch cooked up by the 4-H leader, Jarrod White. Of course the day wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of the Hardin County Soil Conservation District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Tennessee Division of Forestry, the TWRA, UT Extension, and Mr. Elton Coley who welcomed everyone to his farm for the day.
From show 2509.
To learn more about the Tennessee Natural Resources Conservation Servoce, visit their website. For more on the Hardin County Soil Conservation District, visit this link.
