’14 teams advance to state in Envirothon competition’

High school students in Nebraska recently competed in regional Envirothon competitions to showcase their natural resources knowledge. The competitions involved tasks like identifying trees and animal tracks, calculating livestock numbers on rangeland, and studying soil structure.

Out of 71 teams, winners from each region and eight wild card teams based on their scores advanced to the state competition. The qualifying schools include Beatrice, Overton, St. Paul, Concordia 1, Gordon Rushville, West Holt, Milford, Burwell, Ord, Concordia 2, Tri-County, Norris, Zoo Academy, and Bennington.

The regional Envirothon competitions are usually held alongside district agriculture education contests. Students compete in areas like soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, range, policy, and a current environmental issue as part of five-member teams.

The state Envirothon will take place on April 24 at Ponca State Park near Ponca, Nebraska. Participants will engage in hands-on environmental testing stations and deliver oral presentations on “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.”

Cash prizes are awarded to the top three teams at the state competition: ,500 for first place, ,000 for second place, and 0 for third place.

To learn more about the Nebraska Envirothon, visit www.nrdnet.org/nebraska-envirothon. The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) collaborates with the state’s 23 Natural Resources Districts to preserve the natural resources of Nebraska. These districts, unique to the state, act as local government entities with a focus on conservation and resource management. Explore more about Nebraska’s NRDs at www.nrdnet.org.