Michigan's Envirothon
Today’s Students – Tomorrow’s Leaders: The Envirothon is a program for high school students designed to cultivate a desire to learn more about our natural resources and environmental issues through competitive events that culminate in a national competition. All teams implement a community project when participating in the Michigan Envirothon and answer questions pertaining to aquatic ecology, energy, forestry, soil/geology, sustainable agriculture, wildlife and an environmental issue that varies from year to year.
Michigan’s participation had declined in recent years, but member Svenja Drebes has revitalized the Michigan competition through her service at the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts. As the Envirothon Coordinator, she has worked with a Steering Committee to plan and prepare the event; solicited participation via communications to home and charter schools and groups such as FFA, 4H, and Pheasants Forever; made presentations at the Michigan Science Teacher Association conference; distributed flyers and brochures; sent e-mails to interested parties; participated in conference calls; and recruited volunteers to help prepare and run the competitions.
The first regional competition took place in Traverse City on March 14th and culminated in the final state competition on May 15th and 16th at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie. Starting July 28th, Michigan’s winning team, Team Awesome from Glen Lake High School, competes in Flagstaff, Arizona, with the other finalists.
