COLUMBUS, OH - One hundred students from 19 high schools, representing every part of the state, will converge at Hiram College from June 12-14 for the 2005 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 competition include the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Soil and Water Conservation and the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts.
The top four teams from each of the state’s five regions will compete to answer questions at field test sites and prepare a short oral presentation on this year’s topic: Managing Cultural Landscapes. Students work cooperatively in five-member teams to answer questions prepared by ODNR, Hiram College, Portage County Park District, Holden Arboretum, and the Ohio Army National Guard.
This year's competitors include Delta Future Farmers of America (FFA), Oregon-Clay High School, Fort Jennings High School, and Bluffton High School in northwest Ohio; Waynesdale FFA, Chardon High School (two teams), and Geneva High School in northeast Ohio; New Lexington FFA, Mt. Vernon FFA, River View High FFA, and Centerburg FFA in east central Ohio; Franklin High School, Northmont High School, Cedarville High School, and Fort Loramie High School in southwest Ohio; and Piketon High School, Chief Logan FFA, North Adams High School and Athens High School in southeast Ohio.
Winners of the statewide competition will travel to Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri for the North American Canon Envirothon, scheduled for July 18-24.
Additional sponsors for the 2005 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; Western Reserve RC&D; Canon Envirothon; Cuyahoga American Heritage River Initiative; and Hole in the Horn Whitetails.