Spring is finally here and high school student throughout the county are preparing presentations and studying environmental topics with hopes to win the Monroe County Envirothon Competition next week. Excitement is high as the Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District gets ready for this outdoor event at Monroe County’s very own Ellison Park.
Teams from four area schools will compete in the 27th Envirothon event. These teams include: Brighton, Brockport, Eastridge and Penfield High School.
Envirothon is an annual outdoor, hands-on, environmental education competition for high school students. Teams of five compete against each other to demonstrate their knowledge in topics such as wildlife, aquatics, forestry, soils and current issues which are selected at a national level each year. This year the current issue topic is Western Rangeland Management. The winning team will represent Monroe County at the New York State competition being held on the campus of Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva on May 23 and 24. The winner of the NYS Envirothon will go on to compete in the National Envirothon in Pocatello, Idaho, July 22 through July 28.
Students participating in this event are not just studying the definitions of scientific terms for a test. Instead they are learning real ways to work with community groups and the government to solve ongoing environmental issues. Part of this competition is the oral presentation. Before the event, students are presented a problem related to the current issues topic and are expected to come up with a solution. This gives them the experience that will help further their critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Soil and Water Conservation Districts across the state help organize annual county and regional envirothon competitions. Support for the event is widespread and is provided from high school science teachers, school districts and many local businesses that donate funds and items used during the event. To learn more about the Monroe County Envirothon, visit the website www.monroecountyswcd.org.
The Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District provides programs and technical services to help residents and communities protect and improve the water quality and other natural resources of Monroe County. To learn more, visit monroecountyswcd.org or call 753-7380.
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