Forest Conservation Corps
A Rensselaer County Teen Summer Program
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Rensselaer Youth Outdoors is announcing a FREE environmental education summer program for teenagers aged 14-16. The program will combine recreation and education experiences while teens work on valuable conservation projects protecting Rensselaer County's parks, waters, and natural resources.
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The Conservation Corps program seeks to:
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Promote conservation, education, and community service
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Educate, train, and develop the value of respect for others and the environment in young people
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Provide worthwhile work and community service experiences for young people in a nature setting
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Thank You!
Thank you to the 35 youth who participated in the 2019 Forest Conservation Corps. Your dedication and enthusiasm have made a huge difference to our partners and the Rensselaer County community.
Congratulations on becoming Forest Conservation Corps Alumni!
Upcoming Events
Rensselaer Youth Outdoors at a Glance
Students Question, Explore and Discover Nature

The Rensselaer Plateau Children’s Forest is a network of partners that introduces and engages the children and families of Rensselaer County in the wonder, science, and adventure of nature in an effort to create a healthier, more sustainable community in an increasingly complex world.
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Students Question, Explore and Discover Nature
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Haley shrieked with excitement as she peered at a thumb sized predacious diving beetle in her net. “What IS that?!”, students asked. That spark experience fueled a discussion about water quality, a topic that’s hard to teach in a classroom. It’s all part of a pilot program in a few Rensselaer County schools to teach curriculum through rich outdoor experiences.
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“Our students loved collecting and finding living things in the pond. It was amazing.”, said Jennifer Brown, a third grade teacher at West Sand Lake, after a field trip to the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center.
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What We Do
Making A Difference
Schoolyard Naturalist Teacher Kits
Thanks to a generous grant from the USDA Forest Service, the following classroom kits are available for loan to all Rensselaer County teachers. The kits are geared towards K-8 students. Please contact us to borrow one today!
TREES
The trees we walk by every day can transform into fascinating, year-round outdoor labs! This kit includes lesson plan ideas, class sets of tree identification guides, hand lenses, tree cross sections and measuring tapes. We’ve also included a few non-fiction books to inspire further investigation.


BIRDS
This kit encourages students to focus on the fascinating ‘backyard birds’ that share our schoolyard and neighborhood habitats. In addition to a variety of lesson plan ideas, we’ve included class sets of kid friendly bird guides, feathers, binoculars plus a few fiction and non-fiction books.
INSECTS
From the tiniest sidewalk crack to the slightly overgrown lawn, it’s hard to find a place where insect life doesn’t abound! This kit includes lesson plan ideas, class sets of bug boxes, sweep nets and common insect identification guides, plus a few fiction and non-fiction read aloud books.

THE PRIVATE EYE CURRICULUM
From the Private Eye Website: The Private Eye is a program about the drama and wonder of looking closely at the world, thinking by analogy, changing scale and theorizing. This kit includes the 'Private Eye' curriculum guide, activity sheets and a class set of jewelers loupes.
Contact Us
PO Box 790, Averill Park, NY 12018
Program Coordinator
Amanda McCreary
518-712-9667
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