LAKE PLEASANT - In its 32nd year, the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District's Conservation Field Day continues to teach students about the importance of environmental conservation.

Ninety-eight students from Inlet Common, Lake Pleasant Central, Wheelerville Union Free, Long Lake Central, Wells Central and Piseco Common school districts arrived at the SWCD office Sept. 22 armed with notebooks and ready to hike the Nature Trail to six presentation stations.

Town of Indian Lake Supervisor Barry Hutchins welcomed students, teachers, presenters and volunteers, saying, "Opportunities like Conservation Field Day keep young students plugged into their own backyard events. They experience conservation in an outdoor classroom, and this is a great way to learn."

Students discovered fish have specific adaptations for their habitat and diet at the Fish Morphology station with Environmental Planning Assistant Beth Gilles from the Lake Champlain - Lake George Regional Planning Board.

Joe San Antonio and Allison Braunius, Trail Blazers' prevention educators, described the habitat, diet, appearance and ecological importance of black, brown and polar bears at the What Bear Goes Where station.

An electric meter showed the differences in temperature and energy consumption between incandescent and CFL bulbs. Students learned about the energy-saving benefits of CFLs at the Light Bulb Comparison station with Nancy Welch, Hamilton County Cornell Cooperative Extension's director.

John Seifts, a retired forest ranger, showed students how to identify common Adirondack trees and discussed their values and uses at the Tree Identification station.

At the Conservation Construction station Tom Bielli from the Natural Resources Conservation Service District used a 3D watershed model to illustrate how soil erosion can be reduced in forestry, agricultural and urban practices.

Students learned about the hydrologic cycle with Caitlin Stewart, the SWCD's conservation educator, at the Follow That Drop station, discovering that even though water is a renewable resource not all people have access to safe drinking water.

Dean Davis of the Living World Ecology Center showed off his amazing reptiles during the final presentation, answering questions from an eager audience about rehabilitation methods, common myths and ecological habits of these creatures.

"These students are the future stewards of our Earth," said Stewart. "Conservation Field Day not only offers our fifth- and sixth-graders a day of learning outside, but steppingstones for adult careers in conservation, knowledge to make wise decisions regarding natural resources and practical life skills."

Students may enter the fifth-grade essay or the sixth-grade poster contests describing what they learned at Conservation Field Day. Certificates, ribbons and plaques will be awarded in November after the entries are judged.

The SWCD expressed thanks to the volunteers, presenters and staff who made this year's event a success.