COLUMBUS, OH - One hundred students from 18 high schools, representing every part of the state, will converge at the University of Findlay from June 11-13 for the 2006 Ohio Envirothon.
The annual event is an outdoor academic competition that tests students' knowledge of soil and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues. Sponsors of this year’s competition include the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Soil & Water Conservation and the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts.
The top four teams from each of the state’s five regional Envirothon competitions will compete, answering questions at field test sites and preparing a short oral presentation on this year’s topic: Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate. Students work cooperatively in five-member teams to answer questions prepared by ODNR, the University of Findlay, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Seneca County Soil & Water Conservation District.
This year's competitors include Fort Jennings High School, Holgate High School FFA, Oregon-Clay High School, and Bluffton High School from northwest Ohio; Chardon High School, LaBrae High School, Waynesdale FFA, and Triway FFA from northeast Ohio; Granville High School, Carrollton High School, Olney Friends School and Indian Creek High School from east-central Ohio; Northmont High School, Anna Local School, and Franklin High School (two teams) from southwest Ohio; and Chief Logan FFA (two teams), Athens High School, and Vinton County FFA from southeast Ohio.
Winners of the statewide competition will travel to the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the North American Canon Envirothon, scheduled for July 23-29.
Additional sponsors for the 2006 Ohio Envirothon include American Electric Power; the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Education Fund; the ODNR divisions of Wildlife and Forestry; the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation; Pheasants Forever; the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Ohio State University School of Natural Resources; and Canon Envirothon.