UPDATE: Online ‘Ohio Envirothon’ Test Replaces Local, State Competitions
UPDATE (April 22. 2020) : The Area 2 Envirothon, which was planned for April 30 at Kent State University’s Salem Campus, is canceled. An online competition will replace this local competition and the state competition in June. The tentative date for the online “Ohio Envirothon” test will open the first week of May and will be available for teams to access for several days.
The online competition will test students knowledge of soils and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and a current environmental issue — “Water Resource Management: Local Control and Local Solutions.”
The in-person state and national envirothon competitions have been canceled and will not be offering online tests.
More details will be posted soon. For questions, please contact our district office.
The Envirothon is a high school competition designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in the environment and natural resources. Students are tested on their knowledge of soils and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues.
Envirothons are conducted in five areas around Ohio each spring. The top four teams from each of the Area competitions progress to the Ohio Envirothon in June, which is held in a different part of the state each year. This year, due to COVID-19, an online competition will replace the individual area competitions and the state competition.
In Ohio, the competition is sponsored by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Natural resource and environmental specialists from many agencies, organizations, colleges, universities, park districts and businesses devise the Envirothon questions and staff the various testing ecostations.
The Ohio Envirothon is financed by grants and donations from businesses and through contributions to the Don Rehl Memorial Envirothon Fund. Many local businesses also provide services and products in support of the area and Ohio Envirothons.
For more information, contact Mahoning Soil and Water at (330) 740-7995 or Columbiana Soil and Water at (330) 332-8732.
Below are the key topics for the 2020 Area 2 Envirothon. For more information about these topics and resources, visit this page on the National Conservation Foundation’s website.
- Understanding how groundwater and surface water systems function.
- Understanding the importance of water quality and quantity as a foundation in a healthy ecosystem
- Understanding a variety of water quality indicators in different landscapes.
- Understanding a variety of water quantity indicators in different landscapes
- Understanding how sustainable and best management practices enhance and protect water quality and quantity for humans and wildlife.
- Understanding the differences of local, regional, and national systems that manage natural resources and the importance of each in water resources.
- Understanding the social, economic, political impacts of natural resources management and decision making.
Pictured above is the Boardman Hawks team from Boardman High School, who took third place at the 2019 state Envirothon.
(Photo credit: Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District)