4-H Holds 59th Conservation Field Days Field Trip

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (June 6, 2025) -- Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua County’s 4-H Program celebrated the 59th anniversary of the Conservation Field Days Field Trip for Chautauqua County 5th grade students on May 21st and 22nd, 2025.

Despite the less than favorable weather, Chautauqua County 4-H hosted 150 students on Wednesday and 323 students on Thursday for a total of 473 students. The youth’s excitement to learn about career opportunities, connect with nature, and learn about the natural world around them was not dampened by the rain.

CCE Chautauqua’s Executive Director, Emily Reynolds said "Conservation Field Days is always a rewarding event. Watching youth engage with nature, explore diverse conservation topics, and learn through hands-on opportunities is both inspiring and impactful."

The youth in attendance spend 20 minutes at a station with an expert in the conservation field before rotating to another station to learn about a different topic. Youth visit 4 stations before breaking for lunch and 3 stations after lunch, so not every student saw all 15 stations on Wednesday or all 26 stations Thursday. “Schools with larger classes are divided up into groups that are staggered so that students from the school see as many stations as possible,” explained Lynne Wahlstrom, 4-H Educator. “We hope the youth are excited to share what they learned at the stations they participated in with others from their school to exponentially increase the reach of the presenters.”

Topics from 2025 included fly fishing, the water cycle, green power, the Rails to Trails system, beekeeping, protecting our watershed, forestry, maple syrup production, sustainable farming, Chautauqua Lake, streambank erosion, Eastern Bluebirds, brook trout, boating safety, fire safety, nutrition, grape growing, and the job of a forest ranger.

Community partners who sent instructors to the event included the NYS Department of Public Service, Chautauqua Lake Association, Rails to Trails, Chautauqua County Health Department, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program, SAREP Fly Fishing, Lucile M. Wright Air Museum, Allegany State Park, Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Randolph Fish Hatchery, New York Maple Syrup Experience, Country Kids on the Fly, Cornell Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, NYSDEC Forest Rangers, Jamestown Fire Department, Chautauqua County Beekeepers Association, and the Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association/Grape Discovery Center.

Local businesses also sent instructors like Miller Farms Maple Syrup, Alpacaville Farm, Sunshine Honey, and Stoll Family Farm. Peterson Farm, a local business, gave us a great price on the beef needed to feed the instructors lunch both days of the event.

Conservation Field Days was created by 4-H agent Jim Gould in 1966 to get youth learning outside the classroom. The program was first held at the Sack Farm in the town of Ellery and in 1990 moved to Long-Point State Park. Conservation Field Days have been held at the Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center since 2010.

We are looking forward to continuing Jim Gould’s legacy next year with the 60th anniversary of his program on May 20-21st, 2026 at the Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center.

The Chautauqua County 4-H Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated June 6, 2025