High School Envirothon

What is the Envirothon?

The 2023 High School Envirothon will be held May 4th!

The Envirothon is designed to give high school students an opportunity to acquire and demonstrate knowledge of environmental resources and their connection to each other and human activity. The student teams are challenged in the areas of Aquatics, Forestry, Soils/Land Use, Wildlife and a current environmental issue. In order to participate, a school team must have 3-5 students and an advisor. It's a great opportunity to build teamwork, learn environmental knowledge that pertains to our daily lives, and meet professionals in the environmental field.

Who can participate?

Any Erie County school district can put together up to five teams of 3-5 students grades 9-12. Homeschoolers and cyber school students may also form teams. For schools outside of Erie County, please contact your county's conservation district for information on your local event.

How does a team prepare for the event?

Studying for the event depends upon the schedules of students and their level of interest! Information for the upcoming spring event usually is available on the state website in the beginning of November. Some teams find it easier to study at school during a common time, or they may meet after school at a separate location. Advisors can be a great help in organizing meeting times and coordinating study sessions and field trips.

What is the event like?

For the virtual event in 2021, things will look a lot different than our normal location at Headwaters Park! This year, depending upon the situation at testing time in April, students will meet in school and complete the tests through Google Classroom as a team. If meeting as a team in school does not work, students will be able to meet through Zoom or Google Classroom and complete the tests as a team remotely from their homes. Either way, student teams spend the morning working through written challenges in each station (Forestry, Wildlife, Aquatics, Soils/Land Use, and the Current Issue). The tests will be scored upon submission and results will be sent to the Conservation District for the announcement of awards later that day.

What do the winners receive?

The winning team will represent Erie County and move on to the state competition a few weeks after the county event. This experience will also be virtual and details regarding that challenge will be explained as they become available. All participants will receive a unique 2021 tshirt and the winning team will also receive prizes in addition to the opportunity to compete at the state level.

Why should a school get a team (s) together and participate?

The Envirothon event is FUN! Teams have a great time leading up to the event, preparing and studying in creative ways. Despite a change in location and testing, teams will have the opportunity to contact professionals in the various fields such as PA Game Commission, DCNR, PA Fish and Boat Commission, NRCS, and other agencies. If you are a student, or know of a student, that is interested in environmental causes and studies, and/or is considering further study beyond high school, gather together a team and get ready for the competition in April!

If your school would like to participate please contact Erie County Envirothon Coordinator at 814-825-6403. Click here for more information on the Envirothon.