Cleveland County Soil and Water Conservation

08/21/2026

🐝 The Great Southeast Pollinator Census has begun! 🌻

The NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Cleveland County are out counting pollinators and showing residents how easy it is to join in. All it takes is 15 minutes watching a blooming plant and tallying who stops by!

Come count with us:

Friday, August 21
📍 Joe Bothel, MGV Home — 1114 Bethlehem Church Rd., Grover | 10 am – 5 pm

Saturday, August 22
📍 Foothills Farmers' Market — 126 West Marion St., Shelby | 8:30 am – 12 pm
📍 Cline's Nursery — 901 Fallston Rd., Shelby | 11 am – 2 pm
📍 Paradise Garden Center — 460 Cherryville Rd., Shelby | 11 am – 2 pm
📍 Boiling Springs Community Garden — 307 S. Main St., Boiling Springs | 9 am – 10 am

Stop by any location, learn how to count, and help build a bigger picture of pollinator health across the Southeast! 🦋🐝

Learn more about the Census at: https://gsepc.org/

08/20/2026

🌱 Introducing "The Conservation Connection"! 🌱

Since 1961, the Cleveland County Soil and Water Conservation District has partnered with farmers, landowners, students, and our community to protect our soil and water through education, conservation, and stewardship.

Today, we're proud to continue that legacy — and now you can watch that work in action! Our new "The Conservation Connection" series will recap the programs, workshops, and conservation efforts happening right here in Cleveland County.

📺 Follow along here on Facebook and visit www.clevelandcounty.com/soil-and-water to stay connected with what we're doing to preserve our natural resources for generations to come.

08/14/2026

It's coming next week! Check out this great opportunity for citizen science with pollinators. We will be out and about. Check out what the Master Gardeners have going on...

08/11/2026

We still have space for our September workshop

Join Us for a Project WET Foundations of Water Education Workshop in Cleveland County!

Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation is excited to bring a Project WET Foundations of Water Education Workshop to Cleveland County on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Whether you teach in a traditional classroom, homeschool setting, nature-based program, or informal education environment, this workshop offers engaging, hands-on activities that can be easily adapted for a variety of learning settings.

This engaging professional development opportunity will be hosted by Albemarle Kings Mountain and facilitated by Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation.

The Project WET Foundations of Water Education Guide features some of Project WET's most popular K–12 activities and is designed to build water literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based learning.

Topics include:
• Water conservation
• Ecosystems and ecology
• Water quality
• Watersheds and groundwater
• The hydrosphere
• The water cycle
• Water resource management
• And much more!

Each activity includes step-by-step instructions, academic correlations, and interactive learning experiences that encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and environmental stewardship.

The workshop is a great opportunity to network with fellow educators, gain classroom-ready resources, and discover new ways to engage students in learning about our most valuable natural resource—water.

Registration
To reserve your spot, please register by September 18, 2026 using the link below:
https://bit.ly/ccswd_foundations_workshop

Please see the attached workshop flyer for additional details. We hope you'll join us for a fun day of learning, collaboration, and hands-on water education!

08/11/2026

Check out this great opportunity for homeschoolers in the area.

Hosted by Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation
Cleveland County Soil and Water Conservation will be offering a conservation science series for homeschool students in grades K-12.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Programs will be held monthly from September through May at various locations in Cleveland County. Programs are FREE of charge. A parent or guardian must remain present for the entire program. Programs are held outdoors, so participants should dress appropriately for the weather.
Programs will run from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM for students in grades K-12.

PROGRAM DATES

September 2: Lawndale Park and Water Plant Tour
October 7: Greene Family Farm
November 4: Proffitt Farm
December 2: Discover Christmas Trees

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Prior sign-up is required to ensure adequate materials are prepared for each session. Families must register for each program individually. Programs are limited to the first 20 students.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Amanda Strickland, Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation
📧 [email protected]
📞 704-471-0235 ext. 3 Encouraging Future Conservationists Through Science & Exploration

07/27/2026

Hosted by Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation
Cleveland County Soil and Water Conservation will be offering a conservation science series for homeschool students in grades K-12.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Programs will be held monthly from September through May at various locations in Cleveland County. Programs are FREE of charge. A parent or guardian must remain present for the entire program. Programs are held outdoors, so participants should dress appropriately for the weather.
Programs will run from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM for students in grades K-12.

PROGRAM DATES

September 2: Lawndale Park and Water Plant Tour
October 7: Greene Family Farm
November 4: Proffitt Farm
December 2: Discover Christmas Trees

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Prior sign-up is required to ensure adequate materials are prepared for each session. Families must register for each program individually. Programs are limited to the first 20 students.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Amanda Strickland, Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation
📧 [email protected]
📞 704-471-0235 ext. 3 Encouraging Future Conservationists Through Science & Exploration

07/27/2026

The North Carolina Arboretum is currently accepting applications for the 2026-2027 year for Project EXPLORE: a teacher mini-grant program to promote community science in schools! This program is open to ALL North Carolina K-12 teachers who are interested in getting their students outside doing hands-on scientific data collection and reporting. The NC Arboretum offers a mini-grant, materials, support from a local environmental educator, and curriculum-based programming correlated to the NC state standards.

Applications for this coming school year are due by August 30th for fall participation.

You can find more information about the program at https://www.ncprojectexplore.org/ and below.
For questions, please email [email protected]

Apply Here!

Project EXPLORE is an initiative of the NC Arboretum that brings free outdoor education to teachers & educators at schools following N.C. Essential Standards.

07/21/2026

Join Us for a Project WET Foundations of Water Education Workshop in Cleveland County!

Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation is excited to bring a Project WET Foundations of Water Education Workshop to Cleveland County on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Whether you teach in a traditional classroom, homeschool setting, nature-based program, or informal education environment, this workshop offers engaging, hands-on activities that can be easily adapted for a variety of learning settings.

This engaging professional development opportunity will be hosted by Albemarle Kings Mountain and facilitated by Cleveland County Soil & Water Conservation.

The Project WET Foundations of Water Education Guide features some of Project WET's most popular K–12 activities and is designed to build water literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based learning.

Topics include:
• Water conservation
• Ecosystems and ecology
• Water quality
• Watersheds and groundwater
• The hydrosphere
• The water cycle
• Water resource management
• And much more!

Each activity includes step-by-step instructions, academic correlations, and interactive learning experiences that encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and environmental stewardship.

The workshop is a great opportunity to network with fellow educators, gain classroom-ready resources, and discover new ways to engage students in learning about our most valuable natural resource—water.

Registration
To reserve your spot, please register by September 18, 2026 using the link below:
https://bit.ly/ccswd_foundations_workshop

Please see the attached workshop flyer for additional details. We hope you'll join us for a fun day of learning, collaboration, and hands-on water education!