MT Envirothon
MONTANA ENVIROTHONMontana Expo Park: Exhibition Hall - 400 3rd Street NW, Great Falls MT - April 25, 2022Holiday Inn Great Falls-Convention Center - 1100 5th Street South, Great Falls MT - April 26, 2022 |
Young minds love a challenge. The idea of matching wits with their peers excites and inspires teenagers. The Envirothon was established as a competitive, problem-
solving, natural resource event for high school students to challenge them about the environment. Thousands of high school students have met the challenge and have
come away wiser and more concerned about the natural world and their environment.
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Cascade Conservation District is now accepting registration for this year’s Montana Envirothon Competition. This event is a great competition involving Range, Soils, Aquatics, Wildlife and Forestry. There is a written test portion along with an oral presentation to solve a current issue. The event will be held April 25th & 26th, 2022 in Great Falls Montana. This year’s event current issue is "Waste to Resources." If you are interested in registering your team, please contact Tenlee Atchison, Executive Director at tenlee@cascadecd.com or Teresa Wilhelms, Administrator at secretary@cascadecd.com for the registration form, rules and hotel information. You can also call 406-866-0020. We look forward to seeing you at this year’s competition. Don’t miss the fun! CASCADE CONSERVATION DISTRICT |
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2021 RESULTS: This was the 25th year of the Montana Envirothon due to the competition cancellation due to Covid in 2020. There were 21 teams registered with 20 teams competing. |
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| Hamilton High School Team #1 took first place with each team member winning a $500 Visa gift card. | Top test score went to Powell County High School FFA Team #8 with each team member winning a $300 Visa gift card. | Top Oral Presentation went to Corvallis FFA Team #3. | Top FFA Winner went to Powell County High School FFA Team #8. |
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2020 MONTANA ENVIROTHON CANCELLED: It is with the deepest regrets, because of the continued spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, that the Montana Envirothon Steering Committee has decided to cancel the Montana Envirothon scheduled for April 20 and 21, 2020. The decision was not easy but was made in the best interest of the health and safety of our participants.
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2019 MONTANA ENVIROTHON: The 24th Annual Envirothon was held in Lewistown on April 29 - 30, 2019 with 34 teams registered and only 19 teams competing from across the state. There was a horrific snowstorm that hit and many of the teams couldn't make it. The teams consist of 5 high school students who take written tests on Forestry, Wildlife, Range, Soils, and Aquatics. This year's current issue was "Agriculture and the Environment: Knowledge and Technology to Feed the World." 2019 PHOTOS |
Conservation districts work with schools to develop conservation education curricula and outdoor classrooms by coordinating technical and financial assistance, and provide teaching events like the Montana Envirothon. Contact your local conservation district for more information.
THE ENVIROTHON PORTAL
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It's about challenging our youth! |
It's about making teaching fun! |
It's about changing attitudes! |
It's about preserving our future! |
| The Envirothon uses the outdoors as an alternative to classroom learning. In this natural setting, students become aware of the many environmental problems that exist today. Working as a team, they learn to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to arrive at solutions to specific environmental problems. |
The Envirothon encourages "hands-on" learning. Students learn many interesting facts, but more importantly, learn to listen to various viewpoints to solve problems. They also have the opportunity to learn from a variety of environmental education professionals. This offers great opportunities for career counseling "in the field." |
The best way to promote positive behaviors is to promote positive attitudes. That's the key to a successful Envirothon. Teaching positive attitudes about the world around us has a ripple effect which spreads through communities and benefits the total environment. | Today's students are tomorrow's homeowners, consumers, and decision-makers. Teachers are faced with the critical job of preparing students to make the best choices about our natural resources. The Envirothon offers a unique approach to help teachers accomplish this task. Using current information on environmental issues, teachers can prepare students to make educated decisions. |
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School Year |
The Montana Competition |
The National Competition |
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At the beginning of the school year, the resource committee and the teachers or advisors sit down to plan activities. (Field days, presentations, debates, classroom training, etc.) These "training" activities take place throughout the school year. They enhance the existing environmental education programs in high schools because they bring together natural resource professionals with teachers to offer expert, quality field work and ideas. Most materials are provided free of charge (refer to study guides on the page below). Participation in the Envirothon is open to all students enrolled in grades 9-12 in public, private, vocational technical or home-school program. Five students make up a team. |
Students are tested for their knowledge in five natural resource topics - Aquatics, Forestry, Rangeland, Soils, and Wildlife. At the Envirothon, students are given a current environmental issue (changes annually) and are challenged to share their solutions in an oral presentation. The state competition usually takes one-two days and is held in Lewistown the last full week of April. In this competition, five hundred dollar ($500.00) cash is awarded for each First Place team member and three hundred dollar ($300.00) cash to each Highest Test Score team member. The same team cannot win both awards and prices. |
The winning team from the Montana competition will go on to compete at the NCF-Envirothon each Summer where awards are offered for the 1st-10th place team. NCF-Envirothon materials are provided by the host state or province. The national Envirothon is a four-five day event where teams from each participating state/country work out the solution to an environmental program. There are also tours, campfires, night hikes, and other environmentally related activities available. |
Additional information and natural resources needed to compete in Envirothon can be found at your local Conservation District. Districts are assisted at each level of
competition by related state and federal environmental agencies and organizations that consists of foresters, soil scientists, wildlife and fisheries experts, and other
sponsors.
More Resources: Added 2020 |
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Forms |
Team Registration Form | Medical Information Form | Parental Consent Form |
For More Information Contact
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Tenlee Atchison or Teresa Wilhelms Cascade Conservation District 600 6th St NW, Suite 1 Great Falls, MT 59404 Phone: (406) 866-0020 Email: tenlee@cascadecd.com |
DNRC Department of Natural Resources and Conservation 1539 11th Avenue, PO Box 201601 Helena, MT 59620-1601 Phone: (406) 444-6669 Email: steph.criswell@mt.gov |
Conclusion
The spirit of competition, which motivates athletes and drive successful business people to develop new ideas, also motivates young citizens. In competing in the Envirothon, not only do students learn about their state's natural resource problems and solutions--but they also learn about team building, communications, and conservation partnerships. They indirectly "experience" natural resource and conservation careers. But the payoff, for all involved will be a more aware and concerned citizenry in the future. The environment can only benefit from this educational effort.