The Cherokee Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is accepting scholarship applications from high school seniors residing in Cherokee County who will be pursuing programs of study in any field of conservation or agriculture.
The SWCD commissioners will award local scholarships, usually around $500 each, and forward the top application to the Conservation Districts of Iowa Regional Director for consideration. The director will select a regional winner whose application will move onto state competition. After final selections, the top three scholarships will be awarded at the state level in the amounts of $3000, $2000 and $1000. Winners from the remaining six regions will each receive $500.
Scholarship applications are judged based on the following criteria: 20 points for involvement, leadership, and character, 20 points for career, 30 points for scholastic achievement, and 30 points for conservation message.
Interested students should pick up an application from their guidance counselor or go online and complete the fillable application at https://cdiowa.org/get-involved/scholarships/2025%20scholarship%20application
The deadline for applications to be turned into the SWCD office at 314 Lake Street in Cherokee is February 7, 2025. Any questions should be directed to the office at 712-225-3769. There have been some years when the Cherokee SWCD only received one or two applications, so if you know of a high school senior who will be going into any field of conservation or agriculture, please encourage them to apply.
Conservation Districts of Iowa is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the 100 local SWCDs in Iowa provide assistance and educational programs to the citizens of Iowa for the protection of soil, water, and other natural resources. In addition to the scholarship awards, CDI sponsors a poster contest and the Iowa Envirothon, an environmental competition for high school students.