Ohio Youth Selected To Conservation Teen Advisory Council

Article Presented By Tomlinson Insurance

(ODNR) – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has announced that 50 students have been selected as members of the Conservation Teen Advisory Council (ConTAC) for this upcoming school year. ConTAC provides high school students from across Ohio with a unique opportunity to collaborate and contribute ideas to enhance ODNR’s youth outreach program efforts.

“It’s inspiring for us to see a new group of intelligent young people that are passionate about nature join our ConTAC program,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “We love their perspectives and look forward to their work this year with our ODNR experts.”

From our area, several teens selected include:

Brown County:

Rylan Utter (Sophomore), Eastern Brown High School

Fairfield County:

Emma Bastian (Senior), Pickerington High School Central
Natasha Miller (Senior), Pickerington High School North
Spencer Phelps (Senior), Pickerington High School Central

Fayette County:

Paul Madden (Freshman), Madison-Plains High School

Hocking County:
Weston Garey (Senior), Logan High School

ConTAC members serve at minimum one year on the council. They have an opportunity to meet monthly with fellow members and natural resource mentors (meetings are in-person March – November, and virtually December – February). This year’s kick-off meeting was August 11, 2022; it will be a stream quality monitoring event on the Grand River. An example of a recent meeting can be seen in this video.

Members of ConTAC are tasked with developing and implementing campaigns and strategies that positively impact their community and environment. Examples of past projects include stream quality monitoring, habitat restoration, educating youth on environmental issues, and fundraisers. Students are strongly encouraged to bring their new skills and knowledge back into their respective communities.

Twenty-one members of ConTAC are returning to the program for the 2022-2023 school year. With 71 students, the program represents 35 counties and 56 schools. A list of ConTAC members for the 2022-2023 program year can be found at the bottom of this release. You can learn more about the group and its mission on the ODNR website.