Chardon High School in Geauga County placed first

Fort Jennings High School team from Putnam County finished second

Wynford High School in Crawford County placed third

COLUMBUS, OH - A team of students from Chardon High School in Geauga County placed first in the 2008 Ohio Envirothon, held at Urbana University June 8-10, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). This year marked Ohio’s 20th annual Envirothon competition.

Twenty teams from 17 Ohio high schools participated in this year’s outdoors competition, which tested students’ knowledge of soils and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues.

First prize was a check for $300 and registration as Ohio’s representative to the North American Canon Envirothon, set for July 28-August 3 at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. There, students from 55 states and provinces will compete for more than $125,000 in academic scholarships and prizes.

The Fort Jennings High School team from Putnam County finished second in Ohio’s recent competition, taking home a check for $200. A team from Wynford High School in Crawford County placed third, taking home a check for $100. The team from Hardin Northern High School in Hardin County took honors as the high scoring “rookie” team in the event. Each of the teams also received a plaque to display at the school.

ODNR’s Division of Soil & Water Conservation and the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts sponsor the annual event.

Each participating team earned the opportunity to compete at the state level by placing among the top four teams in five regional Envirothons that were held in April and May. In all, 343 teams competed for a chance to attend the state event.

Each year, the Envirothon focuses on a specific environmental issue. This year’s topic, Recreational Impacts On Natural Resources, encouraged students to evaluate ways in which active and passive outdoor recreational pursuits impact the environment and how these impacts might be limited. In addition to five field-testing exercises, each team prepared a five-minute oral presentation which was delivered to a panel of ODNR experts.

Staff from ODNR, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, OSU Extension, and Champaign, Clark and Union County Soil & Water Conservation Districts prepared the state Envirothon questions.

High scores in the individual contest components were:

Soils/Land Use - Granville High School; Chardon High School “ Team A” (tie)
Wildlife - Chardon “Team A”Aquatic Ecology - Fort Jennings High School Team 1; Fort Jennings Team 2; Hardin Northern High School (3 way tie)
Current Environmental Issue - Fort Jennings Team 1
Forestry - Chardon Team A; Hardin Northern; Fort Jennings Team 1 (3-way tie)
Oral Presentation - Chardon Team A

The Ohio Envirothon is funded by donations from individuals, individual county soil and water conservation districts, local businesses, agencies and organizations. Donors for the 2008 Ohio Envirothon included: American Electric Power, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Education Fund, the ODNR Divisions of Wildlife and Forestry, Pheasants Forever, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Credit Services, the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and Canon Envirothon.