Md. Teens Get Back to Nature to Prepare for First Round of Environmental Education Competitions

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Hundreds of Maryland’s brightest high school students are heading for the hills, streams, woods and fields to compete in the first round of qualifying heats leading up to the 2016 North American Envirothon. This event is the largest natural resources competition for high school students in North America with 10 Canadian Provinces and more than 45 states participating. During the past 26 years, more than 20,000 students have competed in the Maryland Envirothon.

“Young people today are so bright,” said Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder. “This program gets teens out of the classroom and gives them direct access to natural resource professionals to learn first-hand about the myriad of complex environmental issues facing our state and our planet.  Through the Envirothon program, these mentors help keep teens engaged and encourage them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

Students participating in the Envirothon have been studying the state’s natural resources since the beginning of the school year. As part of their extracurricular training, teenagers identify and categorize living resources, perform soil surveys, estimate wood yield from trees, and study complex natural resource issues. The students receive hands-on instruction from soil scientists, wildlife specialists, foresters and environmental engineers from local, state and federal agencies as well as private environmental organizations. As part of their training, students focus on a special environmental issue each year. This year’s focus is on invasive species.

Teams compete by applying their knowledge and problem-solving skills in aquatics, forestry, wildlife, soils and environmental issues. The county team with the highest cumulative total wins the local or regional competition and advances to the Maryland Envirothon scheduled for June 22-23 at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg (Frederick County).

The winner of the Maryland Envirothon will represent the state later this summer at the 2016 North American Envirothon scheduled for July 24-29 in Ontario, Canada. More than 300 teenagers from the United States and Canada are expected to compete for $100,000 in scholarships and prizes at the national competition.

The Maryland Envirothon is sponsored by the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts and the State Soil Conservation Committee. Contributors and supporters include the Maryland departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment; the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board; Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Garrett College-Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology Program; Maryland Soybean Board; Chaney Foundation, LTD; New Page Corporation; Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc.; The Purkins Family; Mid-Atlantic Association of Professional Soil Scientists; Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Board, Inc.; AFSCME-Maryland; and the Rural Maryland Council.

Click here for the dates and locations for upcoming county Envirothon competitions.

Follow the Envirothon on Facebook. 

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