Youth Program Extensions
The Cherokee County Conservation offers a variety of programming for youth after school and in the summer.

Hawkeyes
This after school outdoors club is geared towards 5th-8th graders and focuses on outdoor recreation. Typically, students meet after school for 1.5 hours about 10 times a year. Each class provides hands-on programming on a different topic. Past topics have included birding, fishing, fly fishing, trapping, orienteering, building animal homes, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and more.  Hunter safety can be included as well. Currently, this program is only in the Cherokee school system, but can easily be incorporated into other schools with the help of a teacher.

Envirothon
What is Envirothon? It is a team problem-solving, natural resource education competition for high school students. In the field, teams of five students are challenged to sharpen critical thinking skills and work as a team to conduct hands-on investigations and answer written questions concerning environmental issues in five categories: Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife, Soils, and Current Environmental Issues. The regional competition is located in Cherokee and the CCCB is available to assist with training students for this competition. Sometimes, the local Soil & Water Conservation District covers the cost of the team registration fee.

Summer Camps
Each summer there are several camps offered in Cherokee County for various ages. All camps are free and include hands-on activities geared towards that age group, snacks, and supplies. Below are brief descriptions of two annual camps. Additional day camps are offered each summer, typically open for registration in April of each year. More information is usually provided in the News section of our website or in a summer edition of Smoke Signals, our e-newsletter. We charge a small fee of $10/family for camps and that money goes towards the Steve Nelson Memorial Scholarship. If the cost of camp is preventing you from coming to camp, contact Laura at [email protected]. 

Summer Day Camps:

• In June or July, typically running from 9:00am-11:30am
• Most camps are broken into groups: completed K-1st grades, completed 2nd-4th grades, and 5th and up.
• Each year is a different theme. Past themes include Water Wonders, Critter Camp, and Things with Wings.

Jr. Naturalist Camp:

•  9:00am-11:00am
• This camp is for those 3-5 yrs old and an adult.
• Each year the theme is different, but will be the same theme as Day Camp.

River Ramblers Camp:

• Held in July
• Overnight camp for those who have completed 6th-8th grades
• ​Includes a float down the Little Sioux River
  
• Partnership with Plymouth and O'brien Counties

Call 712-225-6709 and ask for Laura, or e-mail [email protected] to schedule any of these programs in your area.

Cherokee County Conservation Board
629 River Rd
Cherokee, IA 51012
Office Hours: Monday-Friday
8:00am-4:30pm
Phone: 712-225-6709
E-mail: [email protected]
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