Earth Day News: Maryland Teens Get Ready for First Round of Environmental Education Competitions

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 28, 2012) – Hundreds of Maryland high school students will leave the classroom this April to compete in the first round of qualifying heats leading up to the 2012 Canon Envirothon, North America’s largest high school environmental education competition.

“I am continually amazed by the talent, dedication, and commitment of the young people who participate in the Envirothon Program,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “The program provides these students with an extraordinary opportunity to work with environmental experts in the field to better understand Maryland’s natural resources. Maryland needs more young people to seek out and train for careers in agriculture and natural resources.”

Students participating in the Envirothon have been studying the state’s natural resources since September. As part of this extracurricular training, teenagers identify and categorize living resources, perform soil surveys, estimate wood yield from trees, and solve other complex natural resource issues. They 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. The program also focuses on a special environmental issue that changes from year to year. This year’s issue is nonpoint source pollution and low impact development.
Teams compete by applying their knowledge and problem-solving skills in these natural resource areas. The county team with the highest cumulative total wins the local or regional competition and advances to the Maryland Envirothon scheduled for June 20-21 at St. James School in Washington County.  The winner of the Maryland Envirothon will represent the state later this summer at the 2012 Canon Envirothon at Susquehanna University in Selinsgove, Penn., where more than 250 teenagers from the United States and Canada will compete for $125,000 in scholarships and Canon products.

The Envirothon is sponsored by Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts and the State Soil Conservation Committee and supported by other state and federal programs. Below are the dates and contacts for upcoming county Envirothon competitions.

Allegany Envirothon Competition
Date:           May 5, 2012
Place:          Rocky Gap State Park
Contact:      Craig Hartsock, 301-777-1747, ext. 3

Anne Arundel Envirothon Competition
Date:         April 19, 2012
Place:        Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center
Contact:     John Czajkowski, Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District, (410) 571-6757

Baltimore County Envirothon Competition
Date:          April 20, 2012
Place:         Oregon Ridge Lodge
Contact:     Jim Ensor, Baltimore County Soil Conservation District, (410) 527-5920, ext. 3

Calvert Envirothon Competition
Date:         April 25, 2012
Place:        King’s Landing Park
Contact:     William Clark, Calvert Soil Conservation District, 410-535-1521, ext. 3

Carroll Envirothon Competition
Date:          April 25, 2012
Place:         Hashawha/Bear Branch Center
Contact:      Ed Null, Carroll Soil Conservation District, (410) 848-8200, ext. 3

Cecil Envirothon Competition
Date:         May 16, 2011
Place:        Fair Hill Nature Center
Contact:     Charles Hayes, Cecil Soil Conservation District, (410) 398-4411, ext. 3

Charles Envirothon Competition
Date:           April 24, 2012
Place:          Gilbert Run Park
Contact:      Dee Dee Saunders, Charles Soil Conservation District, (301) 934-9588, ext. 3

Eastern Shore Envirothon
Date:          April 25, 2012
Participating
Counties:    Dorchester, Talbot, Queen Anne’s and Kent counties
Place:         Tuckahoe State Park
Contact:      Craig Zinter, Talbot Soil Conservation District, 410-822-1577, ext. 3

Frederick County Envirothon Competition
Date:          April 24, 2012
Place:         Cunningham Falls State Park, William Houck Area
Contact:      Barry Burch, Walkersville High School, 240-215-5004

Garrett Envirothon Competition
Date:           May 10, 2012
Place:          Western Maryland 4-H Center at Bittinger
Contact:      Shaun Sanders, Garrett Soil Conservation District, 301-334-6950, ext. 3

Harford Envirothon Competition
Date:           May 3, 2012
Location:      4-H Camp, Rock State Park
Contact:       Patrick Jones, 410-838-6181, ext. 3

Howard Envirothon Competition
Date:           April 18, 2012
Place:          Howard County Conservancy’s Mount Pleasant Farm, Woodstock.
Contact:       Kristal M. McCormick, Howard Soil Conservation District, (410) 489-7987

Montgomery Envirothon Competition
Date:         April 25, 2012
Place:        Agricultural History Farm Park
Contact:    David Plummer, Montgomery Soil Conservation District, (301) 590-2855

Prince George’s Envirothon Competition
Date:           April 25, 2012
Place:          William S. Schmidt Center
Contact:        Debbie Sandlin, Prince George’s Soil Conservation District, (301) 574-5162, ext. 3

St. Mary’s Envirothon Competition
Date:          April 26, 2012
Place:         Hunter’s Hill Farm
Contact:      Hayley Carter, St. Mary’s Soil Conservation District, (301) 475-8402, ext. 3

Washington County Envirothon Competition
Date:            April 20, 2012
Place:           Fairview Outdoor School
Contact:        Elmer Weibley or Ginger Noble, Washington County Soil Conservation District, (301)797-6821, ext. 3.