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Career goals going green
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Review Photo/ERIC HRIN Laura Young, a student at Rock L. Butler Middle School in Wellsboro, takes part in a tree climbing lesson with Jim Savage from Penn State University Wednesday at the Green Career Day at Mt. Pisgah State Park.
BY ERIC HRIN
WEST BURLINGTON TWP. - Even the weather taught a lesson Wednesday at the Green Career Day at Mt. Pisgah State Park.
Gerald Hoy, a service forester with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the chilly temperatures are what people entering green careers can expect at times.
"If you're going to work outside, this is very realistic because it's not all those beautiful autumn days," he said.
Featuring 21 different "green career stations," eighth graders from school districts in Bradford, Sullivan and Tioga counties could learn about fields such as arboriculture, geology, forest roads and maintenance, forestry, and landscaping, to name just some of the offerings. This year, a grant from the Endless Mountain RC&D (Resource, Conservation, and Development) Council funded the event.
Presenters provided information about how to reach a career, high school subjects to take, required secondary education, internships, possible volunteer work, and summer jobs that would help lead into the career of choice.
Hoy said the green career field has a lot of opportunities.
"Absolutely," he said. "Especially for this region, there are a lot of green careers here."
He noted that the representatives at the event weren't just talking about careers, but engaging the kids with hands-on activities and tools of the trade. And he thought Mt. Pisgah State Park was a good central location for the event.
At the arboriculture station, students were learning to climb trees safely with a rope and harness.
"It's a fun activity for them, but they're also learning what an arborist does," Vinnie Cotrone, an urban forester with Pennsylvania State University Extension, said. He noted that an arborist can prune dead wood to make the tree safer and healthier.
"That's what we're trying to do - give the kids a taste of what we do as arborists," he said.
Noting the kids' climbing skills, he said: "They're all pretty good at it, once they get started."
"That's awesome," Laura Young, a student at Rock L. Butler Middle School in Wellsboro, said after the climbing lesson. Logan Wiles, a student at Wyalusing Valley Junior Senior High School, also was getting ready for a climb.
Brandon Barnes, one of a number of Canton FFA volunteers assisting at the event, said being an arborist is one possibility he is considering for a career. Tom Hojnowski, a Canton teacher, said the event is valuable because it gives the students an idea of what careers are available.
Hoy said jobs in the energy field are also hot.
Erin Malia, with Fortuna Community Relations, said that environmentalists, for example, work with Fortuna on erosion and sedimentation plans and permitting with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Also at the event, members of the Bradford/Sullivan Forest Landowners' Association volunteered help.
And there was something fun to see.
Michael Kuriga, a falconer and eagle educator from the Williamsport area, had a Finnish Goshawk.
Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.
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