Kansas Envirothon: Natural Resource Management Competition for High School Students

Kansas Envirothon

What is Envirothon?

Envirothon is outdoor, environmental high school competition tests students' knowledge and skills in five content areas:

Soils
Forestry
Wildlife
Aquatics
Rangeland Management

Students are also challenged to explore a current issue, selected each year by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) – Envirothon Operating Committee (https://envirothon.org). Using the knowledge learned from the core five subject areas, teams address the assigned current issue. Working as a unit, the team must analyze a given scenario, develop a plan of action to address it and then present their plan to a panel of judges for scoring. Dana Schmelzle, Kansas Envirothon Chairperson, shared, “One of the great aspects of Envirothon is the problem solving. This is especially evident during the oral presentations given at the state competition. Each team is given a real-life scenario based on the current issue theme. The amount of research, cooperation, planning, and practice is always evident on the competition day.”

Current Issue

In 2023, the current issue was “Adapting to a Changing Climate.” The changing climate is one of the most complex issues facing the world today. It spans many disciplines and aspects of everyday life: science, socioeconomics, environment, health, politics, agriculture, food, natural resources, as well as moral and ethical values. Students learn about factors contributing to a changing climate, the effects of these changes on the environment and natural resources, and the unique challenges facing natural resource dependent communities. As they explore the impacts on human social and economic systems, they learn about management strategies for mitigating and adapting to a changing climate, and the roles of innovative technologies and programs in responding to local and global changes.

The Kansas Envirothon provided a scenario relating to the issue of “Adapting to a Changing Climate.” This scenario was based around a 3rd generation family farm in Dickinson County, KS that is experiencing the effects of a changing climate, including intense and long-lasting periods of drought and heavy rainfall events leading to terrace damage, gully formation and erosion of topsoil from his fields. Students were tasked to determine what measures the family could take to increase carbon capture, improve soil health, and mitigate the changing climate. In their presentations, students talked about:

Incentive Programs
Cover Crops
Crop Rotation
No-Till
Other management practices

Kansas Envirothon 2023 Summary

Each year, four regional events are held in early-mid April prior to the Kansas state competition. Almost 300 students participated across the four regional events. The results from the regional events are listed below.

Red Rock; Jackson County: 19 teams, 95 total participants. Winner: Holton Team A.

Wilson Lake; Russell/Lincoln Counties: 7 teams, 35 total participants. Winner: St Johns Beloit (1sttime ever participating)

White Memorial Camp; Morris County: 24 teams, 120 total participants. Winners (Tied for 1st): Manhattan Team A & Mission Valley Team A.

Mound City Fairgrounds; Linn County: 8 teams, 40 total participants. Winner: Jayhawk Linn Team 4.

The Kansas State Envirothon was held on April 26th at YMCA Camp Wood in Chase County. A total of 12 teams (60 students) participated in this event. For the 5th year in a row, Manhattan High School took 1st place. Finishing two points behind MHS, St John’s Catholic from Beloit, KS took 2nd place in their first year competing at Envirothon. Holton, comprised of FFA members, finished in 3rd place.

Kansas Team Qualifies for National Envirothon

The Manhattan High School (MHS) Envirothon team of 5 dedicated students and 1 advisor have recently qualified for the National Envirothon, which will be held at Mount Allison University in Tantramar (Sackville), New Brunswick, Canada. To secure a spot in the National Envirothon, the Manhattan High team competed and placed first in the highly competitive Kansas Envirothon.

The National Envirothon is an esteemed annual competition that brings together high school-aged students from across North America, including participating states, Canadian provinces, and even the nation of China. This national event offers an unparalleled opportunity for students to delve into diverse environmental issues, ecosystems, and topography. The competition, scheduled to take place July 23 - 29, challenges teams to demonstrate their expertise in environmental science and natural resource management at various training and testing stations. It fosters a deep understanding of environmental issues and encourages teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among the participants.

Noah Busch, MHS Science teacher and Envirothon Team advisor shared, “Thanks to the support of organizations like Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD), Kansas Envirothon Committee, and the Riley County Conservation District, we have already begun the process of securing financial support for this adventure.” The remarkable young individuals on the MHS Envirothon team would like to thank these organizations for contributing to their personal and academic growth and are excited for the opportunity to represent Kansas at the National Envirothon.

Success in their First Year

St. John’s Catholic School from Beloit, KS placed 2nd at the Kansas Envirothon in their first year participating. When asked what initially sparked their interest in Envirothon, Joe Holdren, Science Teacher and Envirothon Team Advisor shared, “I have heard about Envirothon in the past, but this year Amanda at our local NRCS reached out and asked if we would participate with their sponsorship. We had several students interested, and I appreciated the opportunity of another science competition for our students.” Due to how much their students enjoyed the experience, St. John’s Catholic School plans to return next year to compete.

"Envirothon offers a unique competitive opportunity for students to engage in our local environmental topics. It is a chance to get out of the classroom and put into practice what we have learned.

Best of all, it is a great time."

-Joe Holdren, St. John’s Catholic School Science Teacher

FFA Involvement

Many FFA chapters compete in Envirothon at the regional and state events. The Kansas State Envirothon is used to determine qualification for two National level Career Development Events (CDEs): (1) Environmental and Natural Resources (ENR) and (2) Forestry. The top FFA chapter from the Kansas Envirothon receives first pick to which National CDE they would like to represent Kansas in. This year, Holton was the top placing FFA Chapter and will compete at the ENR CDE. Mission Valley was the 2nd highest placing FFA chapter and will compete in the Forestry CDE. These two FFA chapter will represent the state of Kansas at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana in early November.

Rylie Volkman, an Agriculture Student Teaching Intern at Mission Valley, shared her thoughts on attending Envirothon as a new educator: “I attended Envirothon for the first time this year with my student teaching site. We brought 5 teams, all comprised of FFA members. This event is great for FFA chapters, as it allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom, through Career Development Events, and in their Supervised Agricultural Experiences. Whether they are looking at different wildlife characteristics or are in the soil pit identifying horizons, this event is sure to have an interest for every student. For me as an educator, I connected with professionals in conservation and natural resource management that I can reach out to when creating lesson plans and curriculum. Envirothon also provides resources for teachers, and the current issues scenario can be adapted and used as a project for many agricultural courses!”

"Any time my students are outside and participating in hands-on activities, it’s a great learning experience!"

-Rylie Volkman, Agriculture Teacher & FFA Advisor

Sparking Interest for Careers in Conservation

While this event does involve competition, it is much more than that. The student participants will be entering post-secondary education and/or the work force in a few years, and Envirothon exposes students to opportunities available in natural resource management fields. Organizations that sponsor this event attend and provide a great networking opportunity for these students.

An advisor from the Kansas Envirothon shared, “It was a great competition for our students that was challenging and put them in contact with professionals that are in the field. Great opportunity to learn and make connections.” For one participant from St. John’s Catholic School, it solidified their desire to pursue the field of Biology next year at K-State, and their experience motivated the younger competitors on their team.

For private businesses that help sponsor, it is a way for them to encourage youth to think about how they can use natural resources more responsibly and problem solve resource issues that will affect them in their current lives and future careers.

Dana Schmelzle, Kansas Envirothon Chairperson, can attest: “I personally hired someone that was a National participant in Envirothon. . . so it was full circle as far as I was concerned and now, they are employed for NRCS.”

Join the Kansas Envirothon in 2024

Kansas schools that are interested in participating can reach out to their local Conservation District or to the Kansas Envirothon Chairperson, Dana Schmelzle, at [email protected] or 785.336.2186 Ext. 110.

Teams are made up of 5 high school students. Typically, the students are from the same high school, but teams from 4-H groups, Scout troops, and other organizations are allowed with prior approval from the Kansas Envirothon Committee.

REGISTRATION FEES

Registration fees for regional events are $50 per team for up to 5 teams per high school and $100 for one team per high school at the state event. If you have a team interested in competing, don’t let the registration fee hold your team(s) back.

Contact your local county Conservation District and ask for their help in finding resource material, organizing field days and for their financial support.

The Kansas program is run by a committee of Conservation District Employees. Natural Resource Conservation Service, The Kansas Forest Service, Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, and other agencies provide support to the Kansas Envirothon committee. Teams are typically sponsored by their local Conservation District.