Vermont Envirothon

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Vermont Envirothon
Vermont Association of Conservation Districts
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Hands-on Natural Resource Education for Vermont
High School-aged Students.
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Coordinated by

• Vermont Association of Conservation Districts
• A non-profit organization representing VTs 14
  Natural Resource Conservation Districts Contact
  Carrie Riker 802-888-9218 ext. 17
• www.vacd.org

Supported nationally by
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What is the Vermont Envirothon?

• A competition that
• challenges high school students knowledge of the
  environment.
• provides students with the knowledge, skills, and
  willingness to participate in natural resource
  problem solving.
• emphasizes teamwork, critical thinking skills,
  and creative investigation.
• combines in-class curriculum with field
  experiences.

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The Vermont Envirothon

• Each of the Envirothons five topic areas
  contains a variety of activities and content that
  can be identified as being addressed in the
  Vermont Framework of Standards and Learning
  Opportunities.
• For each of the Key Points, the applicable
  Vermont standard is identified by the standard
  number.

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Who Can Enter the Envirothon?

• High schools, home-schooled groups, youth groups,
  and church youth groups can form an Envirothon
  team.
• Each group is comprised of 5 high-school aged
  students, one or more alternates and a coach.
• The coach can be a teacher, administrator,
  parent, or youth leader.

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How does the Envirothon Work?

• Throughout the school year, Envirothon teams
  study natural resource concepts.
• Teams work with natural resource professionals
  gaining field experience.
• In the spring, each team competes in a state-wide
  Envirothon.
• The winning team represents Vermont at the
  International Envirothon during the summer.

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What do students learn?

• Four natural resource components
• Soils
• Forestry
• Wildlife
• Aquatic ecosystems
• An environmental issue in depth
• Past examples Wetlands, non-point source
  pollution, invasive species, pesticides, water
  stewardship in a changing climate, etc.

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Soils

• Basic soil structure
• Physical, chemical, and biological properties
• Soils role in the environment
• Soil erosion, non-point source pollution, global
  warming
• Soils influence on land use
• Development, agricultural, wetland, and
  recreational uses

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Students learning soil structure from NRCS Soil
Scientist, Thom Villars.
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Becoming familiar with the local USDA Natural
Resource Conservation Service Soil Survey is part
of on-the-ground experiences.
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Forestry

• Tree identification
• Basic tree structure and function
• Forest Ecology
• Fragmentation, biodiversity, forest health
• Forest Management
• Even-aged vs. Uneven-aged Management, Accepted
  Management Practices (AMPs)
• Wildlife Habitat
• Species requirements for food, shelter, and range

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Forestry is an important natural resource concept
students study in depth.
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Local and Vermont tree identification is an
important part of Forestry.
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Hands-on problem solving is part of the final
Envirothon Competition
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Wildlife

• Common species identification
• Natural history, basic needs, role in the
  ecosystem
• Habitat requirements
• Limiting factors, enhancing habitat,
  predator/prey relationships
• Human interaction
• Hunting, invasive species, rabies, West Nile
  virus

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Students learn to identify many species of
mammals, birds, and insects. They also study
habitat needs and where animals fit into the
bigger ecosystem.
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Is it an owl? If so, what kind of owl. Can
students identify the kind of owl by its who
who, who whoooooo?
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Aquatics

• Common freshwater species identification
• Fish, insects, plants, amphibians
• Water Resources
• Groundwater, surface water, rivers, lakes,
  wetlands
• Threats to Aquatic Resources
• Pollution, invasive species, competing uses,
  mitigation of damage

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What aquatic species can be found in water
samples from an area lake or stream?
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What does this tiny insect indicate about the
quality of the water? Why is it important?
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Current Environmental Issue
A special topic assigned each year by the
National Envirothon Competition provides a
hands-on challenge

• Solve a current problem in the teams local
  environment
• Identify, investigate, brainstorm solutions,
  create recommendations
• Create a public presentation addressing the issue
• Present to a panel of judges at the state
  competition

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Students work as a team to prepare a presentation
about a challenging local environmental problem.
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The presentation must use creative visual aids to
communicate a solution and display teamwork.
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This local high school studied their watershed
for non-point source pollution.
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What additional skills do students gain?

• use reasoning strategies, knowledge, and common
  sense to solve environmental problems.
• use scientific methods to describe, investigate,
  and explain natural phenomena.
• interact with natural resource professionals from
  several disciplines.

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In addition to learning about natural resource
concepts, students also acquire skills in problem
solving, decision making, teamwork, and
communications.
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Timeline of Activities

• September March Envirothon teams register and
  receive study aids.
• September May Envirothon teams work with local
  Conservation Districts and natural resource
  professionals who provide hands-on training.
• February-March Problem solving exercise on the
  current issue is sent to teams.
• April Day-long training held.
• May Envirothon Competition held.

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Past Envirothon Winners!
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Envirothon Participation

• Over 800 Vermont students have participated since
  1996.
• New schools, home-school groups, and youth groups
  such as 4-H, scouts, and church groups are
  welcome and encouraged to join.

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How Do I Get Involved?

• Become a team coach or co-coach
• Get a team of 5-8 high school aged students
  together and register

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Please join us in bringing the Envirothon to
Vermonts students.
www.vacd.org
Vermont Association of Conservation Districts