25th Annual Maryland Envirothon Begins Wednesday

18 High Schools from Across the State to Compete for State Title

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Envirothon is an outdoor natural resources competition that challenges high school students to identify and categorize living resources, perform soil surveys and solve other complex natural resource issues. The 25^th annual Maryland Envirothon will be held on June 17-18 at St. Mary’s College in Southern Maryland. More than 89 challengers from 18 counties across Maryland will participate.

Students taking part in the competition study Maryland’s natural resources for a year. The winner of the Maryland Envirothon will represent the state at the 2015 North American Envirothon, scheduled for July 27-August 2 at Missouri State University. More than 250 teenagers from the United States and Canada are expected to compete for $100,000 in scholarships and prizes.

Working in teams of five, students are trained and tested in four natural resource areas: soils, aquatics, forestry and wildlife, plus an environmental issue that changes from year to year. Each team’s knowledge is tested under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists and wildlife specialists. This year’s special environmental issue is Urban Forestry.

WHAT: The 25^th Annual Maryland Envirothon, a statewide outdoor natural resource competition among high school students.

WHERE: St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s County.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 17, from 12:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.;
Thursday, June 18, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. with Awards Ceremony from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

WHO: 89 high school students from 18 Maryland counties. Schools participating are:

• Allegany High School (Allegany County)
• South River High School (Anne Arundel)
• Calvert High School (Calvert County)
• Boy Scout Venturing Crew 202 (Carroll County)
• Rising Sun High School (Cecil County)
• La Plata High School (Charles County)
• North Dorchester High School (Dorchester County)
• Urbana High School (Frederick County)
• Northern Garrett High School (Garrett County)
• Harford Christian School (Harford County)
• River Hill High School (Howard County)
• Kent County High School (Kent County)
• Montgomery Blair High School (Montgomery County)
• Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Prince George’s County)
• Great Mills High School (St. Mary’s County)
• Saints Peter and Paul High School (Talbot County)
• Clear Spring High School (Washington County)
• Pocomoke High School (Worcester County)

For more information, see the Envirothon website at: www.mdenvirothon.org; the Envirothon Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/MDEnvirothon; or call contact Rachel Rhodes at MDA at 410-841-5869

The Maryland Envirothon is sponsored by: the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, the State Soil Conservation Committee, Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc., Marilyn Mause, Chaney Foundation Fund for Land Use Education, National Conservation Foundation, Western Maryland RC & D Council, Inc., Choptank Electric Trust, Inc., Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Mid-Atlantic Association of Professional Scientists, AFSCME Maryland, Mountain Laurel Garden Club, Hillsmere Garden Club, Southern Maryland Audubon Society, SWCS Pocomoke Chapter, and The Wildlife Society. Contributors and supporters include: the Maryland Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment, the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Garrett College Natural Resources & Wildlife Technology Program, Maryland Forestry Boards, Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland’s 24 Soil Conservation Districts, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.  

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