Conservation Club
Fall 2025 Info
Locations, Dates, and times
This free program is a drop-off for Middle and High Schoolers - and roams Central and Eastern Kentucky!
Lexington Area Chapter
Monthly Outings: meets second Saturday of the month at various locations, 2-5pm
KYA and KUNA for High School: meets Monday evenings when in season
Bonus Projects
Red River Gorge Chapter
KYA for Middle School, offered this fall depending on interest
Monthly Outings, offered this fall depending on interest
Greater Franklin County Chapter
KYA for High School: meets Tuesdays at West Sixth Farm when in season
South Central/Berea Area Chapter
Chapter options pending, please share your interest as we create a plan.
cost
This club is free for all students to attend.
Sign up
Please use this form to sign up for Conservation Club. A chapter lead will follow up with you once the form has been received.
About this program
At Conservation Club, teens participate in local stewardship projects, environmental advocacy and leadership training as modes for connecting to and protecting the environment in real-world situations. It's been demonstrated that mentorship and mastery of skills is the most important way for adolescents to develop a deep connection to the environment and be empowered to make change. Conservation Club local chapters meet monthly with options for chapters to add on additional projects or meetups.
Projects we have done include:
Building bird and bat boxes
Stormwater drain mural
Invasive species removal
Urban gardening
Visit local non-profits to learn about their work
Participate in KYA and KUNA
Bird surveys
River cleanups
Hikes and adventures to different ecosystems in Kentucky
There are a number of different ways to get involved with the Red Oaks Conservation Club!
Monthly Outings - Meet-ups to introduce students to other non-profit’s work, create stewardship projects, go on hikes to explore the ecology of the region, have guest speakers, and more.
KYA (fall) and KUNA (spring) - These youth government opportunities, in partnership with the YMCA, introduce students to the process of advocacy at the state and world level. Both include weekly meetings for approximately 10 weeks and conclude with a multi-day conference* in Louisville with students from different schools across the state. Meetings are held after traditional school hours to encourage all students to have a chance to join our team.
*A separate fee is incurred from the YMCA for the conference. Financial aid is available through both the YMCA and Red Oaks to prevent barriers to participation.
Bonus Projects - Occasionally, we participate in projects that require more than our allotted monthly meeting time to complete. In the past, these have included Art by Nature through the city of Lexington, painting a storm drain mural, and rewilding projects.
