Education

The Custer County Conservation District is excited to offer two $1,000 scholarships to qualified applicants in 2026. To qualify, student must be a high school senior who reside in Custer County. Application and additional requirements are available here
Additional scholarship opportunities:
- South Dakota Association of Conservation District Employees (SDACDE) scholarship:
  - Three $500 scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors in South Dakota. Click here for additional information.
- Mark Kieffer Scholarship:
  - $1,000 for high school seniors located in Western South Dakota that are going to attend a South Dakota college while pursuing a conservation degree. Application deadline is March 1. Click here for additional information.

The annual Arbor Day writing and poster contests will be open again next spring.
- Creative writing contest: open to all South Dakota 5th & 6th graders. Cash awards to top three contestants in the state. Entry deadline will be in March, 2026. Additional information will be made available soon.
- Poster contest: open to all South Dakota 5th graders. Each school can only submit one poster. The top 12 posters from across the state will be featured in the annual South Dakota Arbor Day Poster Contest Calendar. Cash prizes to top three posters in the state. This year’s theme is “Trees in Mythology!”. Click here for more information. Submission deadline is March 27, 2026.

All South Dakota high school students are welcome to compete in the Resource Conservation Speech Contest. The 2026 theme is “Urban Conservation: Healing Our Communities”. Scholarships totaling $2,500 will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Participants should contact our office by February 4 so that we can schedule a local contest by the end of February. Entry form and additional information is available here.