2026 Lebanon County Holds Envirothon Soils Training
John Chibirka (NRCS) leads students in a soil texture exercise at the 2026 Lebanon County Envirothon Soils Training. Photo provided to PACD by Lebanon County Conservation District.
Eighty-four students attended the annual Lebanon County Envirothon Soils Training on March 18, 2026. Middle and high school students from five public school districts, as well as homeschool and private school institutions, participated.
The half-day training was hosted by the Lebanon County Conservation District at the Lebanon Expo Center and was led by Soil Scientists Mike Callahan (Soil Hub) and John Chibirka (Natural Resource Conservation Service). Charlie Hanner, Assistant State Conservationist (NRCS), and Jared Boger, Civil Engineering Technician (NRCS), also assisted.
Mike began the morning by presenting on soil forming factors, soil properties, and more. He also demonstrated how to use the Web Soil Survey and discussed the importance of proper soil management.
After the presentation, students rotated through two hands-on stations. At one station, students used the soil textural triangle to classify four different soil samples. Mike and John assisted the students as they practiced making ribbons with soil and estimating the amounts of sand, silt, and clay in each sample. Students also learned how to use Munsell Soil Color Books to determine the color of each soil sample. At the second station, Jared introduced topographic mapping and Charlie led students in a soil survey activity.