2008 Grayson County Land Stewardship Fair and Competition

The Land Stewardship Competition was open to all students in grades 8 through 12 enrolled in a school in Grayson County (Grayson County Schools, Galax City Schools, Oak Hill Academy) as well as to students who are residents of Grayson County and are homeschooled. The goal of the competition is to encourage the young people in the county to gain a better understanding of the economic and environmental problems that Grayson County faces and come up with real solutions that can help solve these problems. Entries were judged on readability of summaries, presentation at the fair (posters, visuals), feasibility for implementation in Grayson County, potential to increase the income of the county, and the degree to which the proposed projects would be environmentally sound and sustainable and socially beneficial.

First place winner was Daniel Boyer, from Independence Middle School. Daniel’s project was “Benefits of Free Range Eggs.” He received a certificate and a prize of $1,000. Asked what he would do with his prize money, Daniel said he planned to buy more chickens and other agricultural equipment so that he could expand his egg producing business. Daniel is a youth member of the Carroll-Grayson Cattle Producers Association.

Carrie Sage Lindsey, from Galax High School, and Victoria Paige Beamer, from Grayson County High School, tied for second place, and both received certificates and prizes of $500. Carrie’s project was “How would a County Fair Benefit Grayson County?” Victoria’s proposal focused on “How Eco-Tourism could Improve the Local Economy.” Carrie has not yet decided how to use her prize. Victoria is planning to use her prize money to help meet the costs of a leadership conference she will be attending at Georgetown University focusing on medicine and healthcare. Victoria is active with the Tri-Area Kommittee for Youth (TAKY) at the Crossroads Institute and is a state Vice-President for Future Business Leaders of America representing the New River Region.

As part of the awards, the winning participants will have the opportunity to work with Ruth Ross, a professional editor, to prepare a publishable summary of their proposals for submission to local newspapers and posting on the Grayson LandCare website (www.graysonlandcare.org) so that the citizens of Grayson County can have access to the excellent ideas of the county’s young people.

Grayson LandCare secretary, Ruth Ross, says that the organization is delighted with the results of the first Land Stewardship Competition and that they look forward to making this an annual event. She said the organization wants to thank the students who worked so hard on their submissions and the 1908 Courthouse for hosting the event. Very special thanks go to the excellent judges who volunteered their time to evaluate the entries so carefully. The five judges were: John Bryan, entrepreneur/business owner, Winston-Salem, NC; John Eustis, Asst. Ex. Dir. New River Land Trust, Newport, VA; Mimi Leonard, Instructor, Developmental Studies, Wytheville Community College, John F. Munsell, PhD, Assistant Professor, Forest Management Extension Specialist, Virginia Tech Richard A Roth, PhD, Professor of Geography, Radford University

Grayson LandCare, Inc. is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to create new opportunities for Grayson County using the triple bottom line which means: Increasing income and economic well-being of the citizens of the county, in a way that is environmentally sound and sustainable, and socially beneficial to the community.