Home

Organizations

Vermilion Co. Conservation District Foundation

The Vermilion County Conservation District is a leader among institutions providing conservation education to its citizens as well as surrounding counties and Indiana. Providing conservation education to all age levels has always been a major goal of the District. The best known program is Outdoor School which recently celebrated it's 25th anniversary. Fourth and fifth grade classes spend four days studying a variety of subjects. There are classes at each park concurrently for eight weeks in the spring and fall. Listed below are the conservation education programs offered by the V.C.C.D.

• Traveling Naturalists (January-March); Naturalists visit every school in Vermilion County and talk on four pre-selected subjects; (elementary schools).
• Outdoor School (March-May & Aug.-Nov.) campuses at Forest Glen and Kennekuk; four day program, focuses on forest, wildlife, streams and ponds, prairies, habitats; workbook provided; 4th and 5th grade.
• Day Visits (all year, but mostly in May and October); spring sessions at Bunker Hill Historic Area, fall session at Pioneer Homestead; customized programs for elementary through High School.
• Summer Camps (June & July); consist of single day visits and evening programs:  Young Explorers Day Camp, Pioneer Kids Day Camp, Kid's Breadmaking Classes, Discovery Camp for Kids, Blast from the Past Day Camp; programs at Forest Glen and Kennekuk.
• High School Programs (fall, winter, and spring); includes terrestrial ecology, bird banding, deer management, prairies, and water quality.
• College Internships (all year, but mostly in summer); offered in forestry, environmental biology, or related fields; competitive.
• Job Shadowing (fall and spring); area high school students follow a V.C.C.D. staff member for half of a day to learn about his/her job.
• Seminars, Workshops, and Tours (all year); include: Shiitake mushroom seminars, teacher workshops, Audubon Society workshops, tree identification classes, cooking classes, bird banding and park tours call for 217-662-2142 for information.
• Speakers Bureau (all year); V.C.C.D. staff members are available to organized groups or schools for speaking engagements on a variety of topics.

• Living History Events; include: Pioneer Craft Day, Revolutionary War Reenactment, Civil War Reenactment, Maple Syrup Open House, for more information on these and other activities and events.
  

  VCCD INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Forest Glen Preserve

• data collecting in Tree Research Area

• pruning/trimming trees and shrubs

• Shiitake Mushroom research

• prairie restoration    

• savanna restoration

• Natural woodland regeneration study

• Maple syrup production

• lake monitoring

• trail maintenance

• maintenance work in arboretum

  Kennekuk County Park

• prairie restoration and natural stands

• Bunker Hill Historical Area

• trail maintenance

• Collins Complex (State Historical Area which includes Native American ceremonial site and burial grounds)

• 170 acre Lake Mingo

• Illinois Nature Preserves

• gardening

• Shiitake Mushroom research

Note:  All internships include working basic park maintenance.  Interns report to the superintendent of either county park or the supervisor of education.  Many interns also prefer working the various summer camps offered by the VCCD.

If you would like to apply for a college internship, print the  application for internship and return to the address provided.  Internships are filled on a first-come first-serve basis.   Telephone interviews are acceptable in lieu of personal interviews if the applicant is not available because of school commitments.