In an effort to reach out to the young men and women who are the future of forestry, the Forest Heritage Center Museum will offer scholarships to college students and graduating high school seniors, as well as stipends for forestry program educators. Forestry’s impact on the economy in Oklahoma is tremendous, providing well over 19,000 jobs and $1 billion in wages statewide. The foresters and community leaders who make up the Forest Heritage Center’s board of directors introduced the Forest Heritage Center Scholarship Program in 2018 to help Oklahoma youth take advantage of the opportunities the industry provides.
The Fred Dierks Educational Scholarship offers a $1500 scholarship to a college undergraduate student. The scholarship is available to all students currently enrolled as second semester freshmen or higher grade level. Students must be enrolled in a forestry program in one of Oklahoma’s institutions of higher education, with a minimum of a 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale.
For graduating high school seniors the Quintus Herron Educational Scholarship provides $500 to an Oklahoma student enrolling in a college level forestry program in an Oklahoma institution for higher learning.
A $1000 stipend is available for both formal and informal educators who wish to implement forestry curriculum in their program. Leaders of youth organizations and teachers can take advantage of this opportunity to introduce youngsters to the endless possibilities that the forest and forestry industry provide.
The application deadline for the scholarships and stipend is March 15. For more information and applications visit http://www.forestry.ok.gov/fhc-scholarships, call the Forest Heritage Center Museum at 580-494-6497 or e-mail fhc@beaversbend.com.