​The excitement was contagious as the students gathered on the morning of April 24th for the opening of the 2018 Area IV Envirothon, cheering the professionals who had prepared the tests that students would be taking a short bit later at the testing sites. Not even the threat of rain, which thankfully never amounted to more than some misty conditions and a few drops here and there, dampened enthusiasm. Students and teachers who are veterans of the event know to dress for the weather. The Envirothon offers a unique opportunity for students to learn from professionals who work in different aspects of natural resources conservation.
 
Competition was intense. Each team consists of five students. An adult advisor must accompany the team, but is not permitted to assist the team during the competition. Students and their teachers had spent many hours preparing, pouring over study guides, participating in practice Envirothons in their home counties, securing busing and learning from natural resources professionals. Over the next few hours, 92 teams made up of over 450 students from an 18 county area in the South West corner of Ohio worked to answer questions on the topics of Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife and the Current Environmental Issue (CEI) of Rangeland Grazing. Five teams from Warren County competed in the competition; 2 teams from Franklin High School and 3 teams from Kings High School
 
The 2018 Area IV Envirothon was hosted by Montgomery County.  Each year, a different team of SWCDs plan and host the event. This year, the Montgomery and Miami SWCDs collaborated to host the event at the beautiful and diverse Possum Creek MetroPark. Possum Creek was a perfect fit, with its mix of high quality habitats all situated in close proximity to one another. The hosting Five Rivers MetroParks staff were very accommodating and worked with the committee closely to make sure the contest had what was needed and flowed smoothly.
 
Major sponsorship for the Area IV Envirothon comes from Cargill, Inc., Honda of America and the 18 Soil & Water Conservation Districts in Southwest Ohio. Test writers were professionals who represented Five Rivers MetroParks, the Miami Conservancy District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
 
The top scoring teams for 2018 were from Centerville (1st and 3rd), Beavercreek, and Russia High Schools. The top four teams from the event advance to the Ohio Envirothon, where they will compete with top teams from the other four areas in the state.  The winning team from the Ohio Envirothon then advances to the North American Envirothon, which in 2018 will be held in Idaho. 

This event is a true example of many groups working together to provide a wonderful opportunity for students to learn through experience! These contests are open to any Warren County schools. If you have a school that would like to participate or learn more, please contact Warren County SWCD Education Specialists Melissa Proffitt or Marta Farrell.

About Envirothon
The ENVIROTHON is an environmental high school competition designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in the environment and natural resources among high school students. Students are tested on their knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues. In addition, the Envirothon encourages cooperative decision-making and team building. While each student on a team is challenged to contribute his or her personal best, the score that counts at the end of the competition is the team score. A team consists of five students, all from the same high school. An adult advisor (or advisors) must accompany the team, but is not permitted to assist the team during the competition.
High School students across the state compete on the local level at one of the five Area Envirothons. The top four teams from each Area Envirothon go on to compete at the state competition held each year in June for the title of State Champion. The State Champion from Ohio will compete at the NCF Envirothon held annually in North America.
For more information, visit: ​https://www.envirothon.org

For the past 27 years Franklin High School has participated in the Area 4 Envirothon. Over that time, teams from the school advanced to the state competition 20 times.
 
The Envirothon is an environmental high school competition designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in the environment and natural resources among high school students. Students are tested on their knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues.
 
This year, two Franklin High School teams in Warren County competed in the Area 4 Envirothon competition held at Fernald Preserve on April 25, 2017. One of the two Franklin High School student teams (Team 1) advanced to the state competition by placing fourth out of 83 teams. Team 1 participants include Kelsea Penny, Joshua Storms, Corbon Moss, Rowan Karrick and Sidnie Penny. Kelsea Penny is the only student who has participated all four years of her high school career at Franklin. Kelsea highlighted that this is the first year students from her team moved on to the state competition.
 
​Team 1 advanced to the State Envirothon at Ohio Christian University on June 12-13, 2017. Only one top ranking team from each state Envirothon competition advances to the National Envirothon, and the Franklin team ranked 15 overall. Paul Ostermann and Peggy Irvine are the advisors for the team. Ostermann said he was most impressed with the group’s motivating attitude and leadership skills. Great job Franklin High School!

What is the Envirothon: 
The Envirothon is designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in our environment and our natural resources among high school students.
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The Envirothon tests students' knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues (CEI). In addition, the Envirothon encourages cooperative decision-making and team building. While each student on an Envirothon team is challenged to contribute his or her personal best, the score that counts at the end of an Envirothon is the team score.

Any high school teacher can start an Envirothon team in their school.  A team consists of a maximum of five students, all from the same high school. The High School can have up to 3 total teams. An adult advisor (or advisors) must accompany the team, but is not permitted to assist the team during the competition. Teams usually convene before or after school to study the Envirothon areas of study. There is lots of guidance and assistance on the the Area, State and National Envirothon information pages.

Warren SWCD can help mentor any teacher in creating a new Envirothon team or continuing an established program.  We can help teach and guide students towards important information.  We are very familiar with the Envirothon process  and competition, so don't hesitate to inquire further or ask for assistance!

Follow this link to learn more:
http://www.warrenswcd.com/hs-envirothon.html

It’s not hard to recognize that here at the Warren County SWCD we work for the conservation of soil and water.  Our story began in the 1930's with the Dust Bowl—"the largest man-made ecological disaster in the United States". During this time, the U.S. was losing millions of tons of soil a year due to severe drought and decades of extensive farming without proper farming practices.

And soil is not an easy thing to replace! Did you know that it takes 500 years to form one inch of topsoil here in Ohio given the right conditions? The USDA/NRCS provides an excellent example of what 500 years looks like with this "Inch of Soil Poster". Factors that help build our soils, include: our parent material (bedrock), biological/living things, time, climate, and topography (relief). 

https://nrcspad.sc.egov.usda.gov/distributioncenter/product.aspx?ProductID=192

​​Since that time, a number of other environmental issues continue to impact our way of life. Some of the greatest threats to our environment include a loss of biodiversity, human population growth, climate change, and pollution. We need more innovative problem solvers to help build a livable and sustainable world. Are you up for the challenge?

Warren County SWCD is here to help guide the next generation in thoughtful use of our natural resources and to help encourage careers in the environmental field. We do this by speaking at Warren County High Schools and by assisting schools in starting an Envirothon Team.

The Envirothon is an annual competition that tests students' knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues (CEI). The Envirothon is designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in the environment and natural resources among high school students. Our Area Envirothon is in the spring, but it’s not too early to start thinking about and forming your teams. Let us stop by your classroom and talk about starting a team at your school!

Congratulations to the Franklin High School Envirothon Team and all Area IV Envirothon Winners! Thank you to all who participated and assisted with making the day a unique and worthwhile experience. The Franklin HS Team scored in the top ten at the 2016 Area IV Envirothon held on April 26 at Chenoweth Trails (Matt Light Foundation) in Darke County. The Envirothon is an outdoor, academic, environmental competition for High School Students.  For more information about the Area IV HS Envirothon sponsored by Soil and Water Conservation Districts and affiliates click on the Area IV Envirothon Webpage or visit the Warren Co HS Envirothon Webpage.
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Click the picture below to see our photo gallery of the 2016 Area IV Envirothon!