The Envirothon tests the knowledge
and understanding of the students on natural resource issues and
sparks student interest in further study of the natural world. Teams
are challenged on several environmental topics through problem-solving
and interactive situations at different testing stations. The Hopewell
Central High School team, composed of Tyler Branham, Kevin Bullard,
Joanna Hokenson, Jennifer Lento and Matt Reeder, actually placed
first in the current issues station. This year's current issue was
watershed management. With the help of a grant from the New Jersey
Conservation Foundation and the Department of Environmental Protection's
Office of Environmental Planning, the New Jersey Envirothon Committee
was able to procure relevant up-to-date watershed information and
conduct training sessions relating to this pertinent issue. This
year the National Envirothon competition was held at Michigan State
University in East Lansing, Michigan from July 31 - August 1. The
event is the culmination of a school year packed with learning activities
like forest field days, night hikes, wildlife nature studies, community
tree plantings and debates on environmental issues in addition to
normal classroom training. Throughout the year, participating teams
have been trained and tested in four natural resource subject areas
C soils, aquatics, forestry and wildlife C and in a fifth environmental
subject that mirrors a current environmental problem such as watershed
management.
The Envirothon is designed to expose
students to a wide range of professionals working in environmentally-related
fields, give students a background in natural resources and the varied
options that go into decision-making and allow students practice
in working with information and differing viewpoints to reach a consensus.