Spruce Mountain Envirothon Team – Lynx – Advances to International Competition
Pictured from left are members Leah Burgess, Owen Schwab, Drew Delaney, Kasey Burns, and Abrahm Geissinger.
Following their success as winners of the Maine State Envirothon virtual competition, Spruce Mountain High School Envirothon Team Lynx competed in the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) International Envirothon held July 25-28, 2021. Hosted by NCF and Nebraska Natural Resource Districts, the event was held virtually, with forty one state champions from across the nation, plus teams from Chinese and Canadian provinces.
The teams’ advisor, Rob Taylor, acknowledged the challenges the students faced – with not only the technical issues of competing virtually, but also in applying what they’d learned about the natural environment in Maine for the State competition to Nebraska’s natural resources for the International Envirothon.
In addition, while the Maine Envirothon did not include the current issue portion of the competition, the International Envirothon event did. Taylor writes, “The students were also challenged with a problem to solve that involved fixing the
problem of nitrate contamination and unsustainable water use in the Ogallala aquifer, which is beneath nine midwestern states and is the source of Nebraska’s water for irrigation and drinking water. The team’s solution included using new technology to manage nutrient monitoring and applications, preserving playa wetlands that help recharge the Ogallala aquifer, and implementing agroecology techniques to reduce the need for fertilizers and improve water
infiltration.”
Taylor said, “I told the students a number of times during the week that a person
could do a PhD dissertation on solving problems like those in the Ogallala.”
Maine Envirothon is hosted by Maine Association of Conservation Districts and supported by the 16 Soil and Water Conservation Districts statewide. The 2021 Maine Envirothon virtual competition and training sessions were funded through a grant from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, and by generous contributors, sponsors, and supporters.
2021 Envirothon – DUE TO COVID-19 ALL 2021 [spring/summer] ACTIVITIES ARE ALL VIRTUAL. THERE WILL BE A VIRTUAL COMPETITION OVER A FOUR DAY PERIOD FROM MAY 18-21, 2021
Visit the Maine Envirothon webpage for additional information.
2020 Envirothon – Maine Regional and State Competitions – cancelled.
Maine 2020 Envirothon competitions have been canceled to protect health and safety of students, advisors, volunteers, sponsors, and education partners.
2019 Envirothon – Maine’s Winning Team Competes in North Carolina
Orion Schwab, Hunter Quirrion, John Brenner, Gabby Beaudoin and Natalie Luce – the Spruce Mountain High School Envirothon team who won the Maine State competition in May of this year – are representing our state at the International Envirothon Competition at the North Carolina State University, led by Team Advisor, Rob Taylor.
They are joined by for this year’s international competition, which will feature teams from across the United States, Canada, and China.
Envirothon is MACD’s best known environmental education program. To learn more visit: http://www.maineenvirothon.org/
Welcome to Maine Envirothon
We are currently inviting you and your students to participate in the Maine Envirothon. Last year, we had over 60 teams from over 30 Maine high schools registered for this program. We look forward to seeing these veteran schools again and welcome new schools to take part in this valuable learning experience.
Envirothon is a state- and nation-wide environmental competition where high school students test their knowledge of natural resources and current environmental issues. Teams consisting of 3-5 students compete first at a regional level, answering questions and solving hands-on problems at five stations: Wildlife, Water/Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, and a Current Natural Resource Issue.
Envirothon is an academic program that is aligned with the Maine Learning Results. As well as advising teams for competition, teachers throughout Maine successfully incorporate Envirothon concepts and hands-on activities into their science curricula. The program raises students’ awareness of local and national environmental issues. Envirothon integrates math, language arts, cultural land-use history, and science in ways unique to the field. Students build critical thinking and decision-making skills as they practice solving real environmental problems.
In addition to learning about the environment, applying new knowledge, collaborating to address natural resource issues, and meeting young environmentalists from around the state and nation, Maine participants are eligible for scholarships from the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture at the University of Maine, Orono. Winners of the National Envirothon receive individual college scholarships valued at over $1000. Through this program, students have an opportunity to meet and learn from state soil scientists, biologists, foresters, and other natural resource professionals.
We greatly appreciate advisors’ interest in natural resources, commitment to environmental education, and time spent preparing teams for competition. As an Envirothon team advisor, it is not necessary that you be an expert in environmental areas nor be a full time teacher. Natural resource professionals from Maine’s 16 Soil and Water Conservation Districts may be available to assist teams with resource materials and preparation. If you are interested in the program, but are not yet ready to form a team for competition, please contact us for more information and an opportunity to attend a preparatory Fall Field Day or other hands-on training sessions. Please note that advisors can be teachers, parents, and/or community members.
How to Register
To register your team for the competition you need to complete the online registration packet . Once your team is registered, we will send you additional information and a resource packet to guide preparation for the Regional Envirothon. You will be notified about workshops and/or hands-on training sessions for your team. Please register as soon as possible to ensure you receive this information with plenty of time to study and practice. However, there will be NO REFUNDS or rollovers to future Envirothons once a team has registered if the team has to cancel.
Links
Our unique grass roots approach to conservation allows us to work with many partners including federal, state and local government agencies. The list below is only a partial list of the partners that we work with.
- National Association of Conservation Districts
- USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service – Maine Site
- USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service – National Site
- USDA – Farm Service Agency
- USDA – Forest Service
- Maine Department of Agriculture
- Maine Department of Environmental Protection
- Maine Forest Service
- Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
- Maine Department of Transportation
- Maine Department of Marine Resources
- Environmental Protection Agency
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension
