• By April Bowman
• Posted Friday, January 26, 2018

Do you like plants, bees, conservation and/or horticulture?

There are FOUR great opportunities for youth coming up related to plants, honeybees, conservation, etc.

• 1. NC 4-H Beekeeping Essay: Due March 1st
  Did you know that a honey bee communicate via dancing? The Round dance communicates the nearby presence of food. The Waggle dance is used to communicate the location of a food source more than 165 ft away from the hive. The direction, distance, and quality of the food is made known through the Waggle. If a threat is detected near the food, another bee will interrupt the dancing bee with a head-butt!

Explore more about the fascinating story of the hard working honey bee by participating in the North Carolina 4-H Beekeeping Essay contest. The essay provides a platform to creatively express your working knowledge and research of the craft of beekeeping.

Explore more about the fascinating story of the hard working honey bee by participating in the North Carolina 4-H Beekeeping Essay contest. The essay provides a platform to creatively express your working knowledge and research of the craft of beekeeping.

Essays for 9-18 year olds are due March 1st at 5:00pm and should be emailed to liz_driscoll@ncsu.edu AND Forsyth County 4-H'ers should copy April Bowman in order to receive Forsyth County 4-H Scholarship Dollars! Youth ages 5-8 may submit an age appropriate essay to April Bowman.

• 2. North Carolina Youth Institute, April 12-13, 2018; Due March 9, 2018:
  The Department of Crop and Soil Sciences is delighted to invite high school youth to participate in the North Carolina Youth Institute. This program is part of the Global Youth Institute and World Food Prize and provides a platform for students to research and give recommendations to solve key global challenges that range from food insecurity, access to potable water, poverty, human rights and more.

9-12th grade students in the 2017-2018 school year are eligible to apply. Click here to learn more.

• 3. Horticultural Science Summer Institute, July 8-13, 2018; Due April 15th
  High school students are invited to spend a week at NC State University climbing trees, grafting tomatoes, snacking on raspberries, discovering new genes and so much more. The Horticultural Science Summer Institute is a residential, hands-on, pre-college program designed to engage youth into the many career opportunities within horticulture. The cost for the week is $550 and includes on-campus lodging in the dorms, most meals, field trips, workshop materials, and entertainment. There may be some scholarships for underserved youth and participants with financial need, or payment plans can be arranged. Applications are due Friday, April 15th and notification of acceptance will follow shortly thereafter. For more information visit the HSSI webpage.

• 4. Resource Conservation Workshop, June 24-29th, 2018
  The Resource Conservation Workshop is a weeklong intensive study and hands on conservation workshop in a wide range of conservation topics. through field study, tours, hands-on sessions as well as evening activities that focus on college-decision making and career decisions.

The Resource Conservation Workshop students stay on campus at NC State in dormitories and attend workshop sessions in Williams Hall, Lake Wheeler Soils Field Lab as well as field studies at Falls Lake State Recreation Area and Clemmons State Educational Forest in Clayton. For a sneak peak of past programs watch this video!

Forsyth County residents should contact Jerry Dorsett in the Forsyth Soil and Water Conservation Office at 336-703-2843 for registration information. Others can click here to find their district office.