Summer Environmental Education Programs

The Department of Waste Management is facilitating an exciting new Environmental Education Program this year!  Programs will be conducted from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Tuesday thru Thursday, from June 9 thru August 20. An exciting lineup covering a range of topics is available in partnership with a number of local agencies including Sleepy Hollow State Park, Bath Township, the DeWitt Area Recreation Authority, and the Clinton Area Transit System. Information is provided below. For further details click here.

All programs, unless otherwise noted, will be located at Sleepy Hollow State Park's Visitor & Interpretive Center (the old Beach House/Concession Stand building at the beach). Programs are free of charge. Call Kathleen Donahue, Environmental Educator at 989-224-5177 for more detailed information and program registration. Participants must register at least two days before the scheduled program. Bus transportation is available thru Clinton Area Transit. Ask for more details at the time of registration.

The Nature and Family, Water Explorers and Wildlife Forensics Programs will be held at Sleepy Hollow State Park. Three other environmental education programs will be held at different locations. A Day at Hazel Ridge Farm will be in Bath and Environmental Careers and the Raptors: Birds of Prey programs will be held at Wildside Rehabilitation and Education Center in Eaton Rapids.

Youth & Community Education Programs

Clinton County is proud to provide environmental education opportunities for the community. A range of topics are available, and activities can easily be tailored to meet requests. The cornerstone of the county's programming is developing “A Sense of Place” within the community – that is connecting residents, and especially youth, to their natural environment in a way that builds awareness and caring on a personal level. The great quote by Babia Dioum, a Senegalese Ecologist explains this well: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We only love what we understand. We only understand what we are taught.”

The county's programs are structured to leave attendees with specific actions they can take to foster environmental conservation through everyday activities. This may include taking simple steps to reduce waste, recycle, reuse items where possible, conserve energy, organize a local clean-up – just to name a few!

Program topics range from forensic science classes to learn about water pollution, composting yard waste in one's own backyard, using red worms to turn food waste into valuable soil fertilizer, conducting a nature study, how waste materials become new products through recycling, understanding what global warming is all about and how to calculate your own carbon footprint, and more!

K-12 school presentations are available for “Annie's Big Nature Lesson” camps, classrooms, homeschooling groups, team teaching settings with themed multiple subjects (language arts, social studies, science, math, art, theater, etc) or alternative settings.

Presentations are also available to community groups such as youth groups (Scouts, 4-H, FFA, student clubs), camps, parks & nature centers and adult community groups (clubs, organizations & senior centers or retiree organizations).

The possibilities are endless, and this fantastic resource is available to the public free of charge! Click here for a brochure. Presentations can be scheduled by calling Kathleen Donahue, the Environmental Education Coordinator at 989-224-5177 or by emailing her at donahuek@clinton-county.org .