August
2003
ROGERS COUNTY YOUTH SERVICES WORKING AT THE RESERVE........

Rogers County Conservation District in
cooperation with the Rogers County Youth Services has developed a new community
service program that allows Graduated Sanctions kids to fulfill their community
service hours. This program developed as a result of the hard work and creative
thinking of Aaron Gentry of the Rogers County Youth Services and Wendi Crane of
the Inola police department. The program allows kids to work on projects that
benefit the community while learning about conservation. Some projects that the
kids have worked on include:
The youth have spent several hours performing maintenance on trails at the
Rogers State University Conservation Education Reserve. While working on these
trails they learn first hand about soil erosion and soil conservation. Secondly,
the youth are able to see how the work being done aids the public by making the
trails safer for the public.
The youth have also helped to establish habitat structures for wildlife in the
ponds and wetlands at the Reserve. This project has introduced them to such
topics as wildlife, habitats and aquatic life while benefiting our natural
resources.
The kids have also performed maintenance activities around the greenhouse at the
Reserve. This will be of benefit to the many school children and adults who
attend the conservation education classes at the Reserve.
With this cooperative effort, we feel that the goals of the Rogers County Youth
Services are being met. The kids are learning to work within structured groups,
starting and finishing tasks and feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride in
a job well done. The youth take pride in their accomplishments at the Reserve
and we take pride in them. We look forward to working on future projects with
the Rogers County Youth Services.