Envirothon Competition Qualifies 14 Teams for State

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Megan Grimes, Nebraska Association of Resources Districts

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Between Jan. 31 and March 7, Nebraska high school students competed around the state during regional Envirothon competitions demonstrating natural resources knowledge by identifying trees and animal tracks, calculating the number of steers on rangeland, and determining soil structure.

The winning teams from each Envirothon region as well as eight wildcards – selected based on their competition scores – qualify to compete at state. Out of the 71 teams that competed, this year’s state qualifiers include:

Regional Winners/Wild Cards

Southeast — Beatrice

Mid-Plains — Overton

Central — St. Paul

Metro — Concordia 1 (Omaha)

West — Gordon Rushville

Northeast — West Holt

Wild Card 1 — Milford

Wild Card 2 — Burwell

Wild Card 3 — Ord

Wild Card 4 — Concordia 2 (Omaha)

Wild Card 5 — Tri-County

Wild Card 6 — Norris

Wild Card 7 — Zoo Academy (Omaha)

Wild Card 8 — Bennington

Traditionally, Nebraska’s six regional Envirothon competitions are hosted in conjunction with district agriculture education contests. High school students compete on five-member teams in seven environmental areas including: soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, range, policy and a current environmental issue.

Qualifying teams will compete at the State Envirothon April 24, at Ponca State Park near Ponca, Nebraska. During the state competition, teams compete in hands-on environmental testing stations as well as prepare and deliver an oral problem-solving presentation focusing on “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.”

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) Foundation awards cash prizes to the top three teams at the state competition:

  • First Place: $1,500

  • Second Place: $1,000

  • Third Place: $500

Learn more about the Nebraska Envirothon at www.nrdnet.org/nebraska-envirothon.