Envirothon
Envirothon is an annual environmentally themed academic competition organized by The North American Envirothon Organization for high school aged students. The competition is held by the United States and Canada on a regional, state, and bi-national level. Envirothon cobines in-class and hands-on environmental education in a competition setting which involves a problem-solving presentation as well as written field tests. The competition tests students on five core subjects- aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, wildlife- along with a fifth annually-changing subtopic which focuses on relevant environmental issues. Currently, roughly 500,000 students from forty-five U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces/territories participate in the competition.[1]
States and provinces across the United States and Canada each have their own local competitions from which the winning high school team earns the privilege of representing their state/province at the Canon Envirothon competition, held each summer in a different U.S. state or Canadian province. In areas with a considerable number of teams, subdivisions such as county, regional, or district competitions are also held. Teams must win these intermediary competitions in order to move on to the state/province levels.
History
In 1979 the Pennsylvania Soil and Water Conservation Districts set up the Environmental Olympics, later renamed Envirolympics, to encourage interest in environmental issues through hands-on competition.[2] Expanding rapidly to include forty conservation districts by 1987, it gained attention from other states, and in 1988, the program became the National Envirothon, with participation from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Ohio. In 1992 Nova Scotia became the first Canadian province to join the competition. Prior to Canon's sponsorship whereby the program was again renamed to Canon Envirothon, the competition was sponsored by various state, local, and provincial conservations programs and associations. Canon began its support in 1997, and in 1999, became the title sponsor of the competition between the U.S. states and Canadian provinces, local sponsors still sponsor lower level competition.[1]
Results
Hosts and top-five competition place winners from the past ten Envirothon competitions.
| Year | Host | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place | 5th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick | Manitoba | Ontario | South Carolina | New Brunswick | Connecticut |
| 2010 | California State University, Fresno, California | California | Delaware | Minnesota | Florida | Maryland |
| 2009 | University of North Carolina, Asheville, North Carolina | Pennsylvania | North Carolina | Maryland | Delaware | Missouri |
| 2008 | Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona | Delaware | Missouri | Pennsylvania | New York | Ohio |
| 2007 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York | Connecticut | Pennsylvania | Delaware | Missouri | New Jersey |
| 2006 | University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba | Virginia | Pennsylvania | Texas | California | Ohio |
| 2005 | Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri | Pennsylvania | Virginia | Delaware | Kentucky | North Carolina |
| 2004 | West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, West Virginia | Florida | Virginia | New Jersey | Kentucky | North Carolina |
| 2003 | Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg, Maryland | Pennsylvania | New Hampshire | North Carolina | Manitoba | Maryland |
| 2002 | Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts | New Hampshire | North Carolina | Pennsylvania | Vermont | Ohio |
Competition
Competition participants are generally teams of five students sponsored by school clubs or classes, local businesses and governments, or 4H and other such non-scholastic organizations. Home-schoolers can also take part as their own team.
States and provinces across the United States and Canada each have their own competitions from which the winning high school team earns the privilege of representing their state/province at the North American Envirothon competition, held each summer in a different U.S. state or Canadian province. In regions with a considerable number of teams, competitions on subdivisions county, regional, or district levels are also held. Teams must win these intermediary competitions in order to move on to the state/province levels. At the North American Competition, teams that rank first through tenth receive prizes and scholarships of various values.
Competition week at the North American Envirothon level includes various outings and seminars for both the students and their advisors. Most of these outings are linked to the current issue topic and provide information on the area in which the competition is being held.
During the competition, each team must complete five written field tests, each dealing with a different topic. These tests consist of various question types, including identifications and hands-on assessments. Each team must also prepare an oral presentation on the current issue topic, which the team presents to a panel of judges. An important element of the competition is the understanding that each topic is interrelated in some way. Each test is scored out of 100 points, with the presentation being scored out of 200 points. The team with the highest cumulative total of points at the end of the scoring is the winning team. Recognition is also given to teams with the highest scoring in each of the five categories.[1]
Competition Topics
Each field test dealing with one of five competition topics requires both theoretical understandings and hand-on skills such as identification and chemical testing. Each topic also has a degree of relatedness to one another, which is sometimes considered in theoretical-based test questions.
Aquatics Ecology
The Aquatics Ecology learning objectives deal with abiotic and Biotic factors, aquatic environments, and water protection and conservation. This topic's field test deals with these learning objectives, with focuses on the functions and significance of watersheds and wetlands; the connections between Water quality and aquatic organisms; and Water use, regulation, and threats such as Invasive species. Hands-on tasks conducted during the field test include identification of wetland types and species, outlining a watershed on a topographical map, and performing chemical water quality tests, among others.
Forestry
Forestry learning objectives for the written field test deal with tree and shrub physiology, Forest ecology, sustainable Forest management, and trees as important renewable resources. The Forestry field test also focuses on forest structure in relation to biotic and abiotic factors; Silviculture techniques and tool use; and the identification and management of invasive species and diseases. The test's hands-on portion includes various tasks such as tree and leaf/needle identification, collecting tree core samples using an Increment borer to determine tree age and historical influences, and Tree planting using proper techniques.
Soils and Land Use
Soils and Land Use learning objectives include physical properties of soil and soil formation, soil ecosystems, chemical properties of soil, soil conservation and land use management, and soil surveying. Within these objectives lie focuses on identifying and understanding soil profiles and horizons; chemical properties and balances of soil; and understanding soil data, surveys, and Drainage and their relations to soil use. The Soils and Land Use field test includes hands-on tasks such as soil type and texture identification, outlining the different horizons in a soil profile, and performing chemical soil property tests, among other tasks.
Wildlife
Learning objectives for the Wildlife field test include knowledge of wild birds and mammals, wildlife ecology, conservation and management of wildlife, and issues involving wildlife and society. Other topic focuses include understanding food habits and skull morphology of wildlife species; habitat features and influences; wildlife adaptations; and predator/prey relationships and Carrying capacity of ecosystems; and how humans, Introduced species, and diseases affect wildlife. Hands-on tasks conducted during this test include using an identification key to identify wildlife pelts, skulls, footprints, and calls/sounds; and using GPS to track tagged specimens.[3]
Current Issue
The fifth topic changes annually, and deals with issues affecting present-day society and environment. The Current Issue field test focuses on theoretical understandings of the issue in relation to the other four competition topics, as well as some hands-on activities.[4] Current Issue Topics have included Nonpoint source pollution/Low Impact Development (2012), Salt and Freshwater Estuaries (2011), Protection of Groundwater Through Urban, Agricultural, and Environmental planning (2010) and Biodiversity in a Changing World (2009), among others in earlier years.[5]
Organizers and Sponsors
The North American Envirothon is a Nonprofit organization headquartered in League City, Texas. Coordinating the delivery of the bi-national North American competition, the organization also relies heavily on volunteers across North America to advise individual teams from each participating state and province.[6]
Envirothon is sponsored by Canon USA, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the United States Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the National Conservation Foundation.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Canon Envirothon Official Webpage, 2008
- ^ a b April Smith (11/2/2010). "History Of Envirothon" (PDF). North American Envirothon. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ "North American Envirothon Curriculum Guidelines". North America Envirothon. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ "Current Competition". North American Envirothon. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ "Past Competitions". North American Envirothon. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ "North American Envirothon: About Us". North American Envirothon. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ "North American Envirothon: Sponsors". North American Envirothon. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help)
External links
