CHARLESTON, W.Va. (April 15, 2020) – The West
Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has canceled the 2020
state Junior Conservation Camp due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The
weeklong, overnight camp for 11- to 14-year-olds was scheduled for June 15-19
at Cedar Lakes in Ripley.
Organized by the WVDEP’s Youth Environmental
Program (YEP), the camp has been in existence since 1981 and typically attracts
close to 200 young West Virginians from throughout the state. Camp instructors
include staff from the WVDEP, along with personnel from the state Division of
Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and West Virginia University Extension
Office.
In addition to Junior Conservation Camp, YEP
also recently announced the cancellation of Youth Environmental Day, which was
slated for May 16 at North Bend State Park in Ritchie County. Youth Environmental
Day had been staged for 56 consecutive years before the COVID-19 outbreak forced
organizers to call it off this year.
“These are two of our most important and
enjoyable events of the year and we are devastated to have to cancel,” said YEP
Director Annette Hoskins, “but we also recognize the seriousness of what is
occurring in our world today. The safety of our citizens and staff is paramount.
We are already looking forward to great events in 2021.”
For more information about COVID-19 prevention
and more, call the State’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-887-4304 or
visit Coronavirus.wv.gov.
For more WVDEP news and
information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, connect with the agency on
all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter, Like us on Facebook
at https://www.facebook.com/depwv/, and find us on YouTube by
searching “Environment Matters.”
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