Maine Envirothon News

Northern Fall Field Days makes the news!

2011-10-31T04:22:00.000-07:00

Click on this link to see what is happening with the Northern Fall Field Day in Easton Maine.

Click Here

2011 State Envirothon Winners Announced

2011-05-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Bangor, ME – May 31, 2011 – As a result of the State Envirothon held on May 26th at the University of Maine in Augusta, Jay High School will represent Maine at the international Canon Envirothon competition. The Maine Association of Conservation Districts awarded plaques to the three top-scoring high school Envirothon teams at the event. The first, second and third place winning teams respectively were: Jay High School, Bonny Eagle from Standish, and Boghaunter Home School from Gray/Casco. Sixteen teams representing 16 high schools from around the state competed at this event.

Envirothon, Maine’s largest high school environmental education program, is an international program representing over 500,000 high school students in the United States and Canada. First place Jay High School will represent Maine at the international Canon Envirothon competition to be held in New Brunswick, Canada in late July. The international Canon Envirothon, organized by local conservation districts and other conservation agencies, is sponsored by Canon USA, in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Forest Service, National Association of Conservation Districts, Mead Westvaco Corporation, American Electric Power, Inc., and Alcoa Foundation.

The major objective of the Maine Envirothon, an effective educational tool capable of supplementing environmental education both inside and outside the classroom, is to provide opportunities for high school students or organized groups of high school-aged students to acquire and increase their outdoor skills and scientific knowledge about Maine’s natural resources so that they can make informed, educated decisions about the environment. It provides students with reference materials, workshops, and hands-on, outdoor, real-life experiences in five areas including forestry, wildlife, soils, aquatics, and a current issue—this year being Protection of Fresh and Saltwater Marshes.

Other high schools competing in the State Envirothon finals included: Belfast, Ellsworth, Greely, Hampden Academy, Hodgdon, Lee Academy, Lisbon, Livermore Falls, Mt. Ararat, Nokomis, Piscataquis Community, Presque Isle and Washington Academy. These teams represented the top four winning teams from four regional competitions held around the state earlier in May, with the exception of Hampden Academy and Livermore Falls, who placed fifth in the regional competition but replaced Brunswick High School and Old Town High School who were eligible but unable to attend.

The Envirothon program would not be possible without the financial and in-kind support, expertise and/or time commitment from many natural resource-related partners. Resource specialists who cooperated in the 2011 State Envirothon included: Maine Department of Agriculture, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Maine’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Major sponsors of the 2011 State Envirothon were: Plum Creek, a “Gold Sponsor”; Poland Spring, a “Silver Sponsor”; the Maine Association of Professional Soil Scientists; Maine Wild Blueberry Commission; Maine Potato Board; Maine Association of Site Evaluators; Maine Association of Wetland Scientists; Maine Chapter Society of American Foresters; Maine Department of Environmental Protection; New England Organics; University of Maine School of Natural Resources and Canon North American Envirothon.
There were many other contributors and partners that helped to make this event possible for the benefit of the students and Maine’s natural resources.

As part of the closing festivities at the State Envirothon, Poland Spring representatives presented a $500 check to the winning Jay High School team as a start to their funding-raising activities to pay for their travel expenses to the international Canon Envirothon competition. In addition, the USDA Natural Resources will offer a summer internship position to a senior on the winning team. Scholarships announced at the event from the University of Maine were: $2,000 from the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture to Miranda Sabine from Central High School, and Justin Libby from Old Town High School received a $2,000 scholarship from the School of Forest Resources.

An Envirothon web site for all interested teachers and students is available at http://maineenvirothon.org/ or http://www.envirothon.org/.

Forestry Tools and Training Grant Opportunity for Envirothon Teams

2011-01-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

Bangor, ME – January 26, 2011 -- The Maine Envirothon program has been awarded a $1,200 grant from the Maine Society of American Foresters (SAF) to allow registered Envirothon teams to purchase forestry equipment for their Envirothon teams. The funding was made possible by the New England SAF. The Maine Envirothon is sponsored by the Maine Association of Conservation Districts and Maine’s 16 Soil and Water Conservation Districts, in partnership with other natural resource agencies and organizations.

As a result of this grant, a group/school who has registered to participate in the 2011 Envirothon can request up to $120 if they can match it. A 50/50 match is expected. The group/school would order the tools directly from a supply company of their choice, and would then be scheduled for training with a premier Maine SAF member or student SAF. Items that can be purchased include Biltmore sticks, compasses and/or clinometers for the team(s). Due to the limited amount of funds, teams will be eligible on a first-come first-serve basis.

Envirothon is a state- and nation-wide environmental competition where high school students test their knowledge of natural resources and current environmental issues. It provides students with reference materials, workshops, and hands-on, outdoor, real life experiences in five areas including forestry, wildlife, soils, aquatics, and a current issue. Teams consisting of 3-5 students complete first at one of four regional Envirothon in May; the top four teams from each regional Envirothon will then compete at the State finals in late May, with the state’s winning team traveling to the international competition in late July or early August.

If you are interested in participating in the 2011 Envirothon, please contact tish carr at 485-0219 or email tish.carr@maineswcds.org. For more information or to register on-line go to www.maineswcds.org/envirothon.htm. The registration deadline is March 15, 2011.

If you have already registered for Envirothon and would like to sign up for SAF funding or receive more information, please contact tish carr. Don’t delay, for funds are limited!

Scholarships Available

2010-04-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

We have been notified that the University of Maine College of Engineering is offering a $2,000 scholarship to the Univeristy of Maine for Envirothon students that have been accepted into they program.

Plus there are still shcolarships to the Unviersity of Maine School of Forestry and College of Ag Science available. These are great opportunites for seniors involved in Envirothon.

Advisors there are still travel scolarships available from the Maine Society of American Foresters.

For more information on any of these scholarships please click on the links above.

Travel Scholarships Available

2010-02-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

The Maine Chapter of SAF has generously offered scholarships to Envirothon teams that will exceed 75 miles in travel(one-way) to the regional events. The travel stipend is $50 for groups/schools. Please contact tish carr, MACD Education Coordinator for more information.

This is on a first come first serve basis for groups/schools registered for the 2010 Envirothon program.

Maine Envirothon Announces Fall Field Days

2009-09-25T07:26:00.001-07:00

Envirothon Advisors, are you looking for a way to jump start your team for the Envirothon season? Then join us for our Fall Field Days that are being scheduled in three locations in Maine. The Fall Field day will be replacing the Mock Envirothon that was traditionally held in the spring, so don’t miss this opportunity to help your team get some training on this year’s Envirothon topics.
During the Field Day your teams will attend educational sessions on the Envirothon Topics and we will also have a session to introduce the Current Event Topic for 2010, which is “Protection of Groundwater Through Urban, Agricultural and Environmental Planning.”
The field days will be held on the following locations and dates:

Central Maine Fall Field Day: October 15, 2009 from 8:00 to 2:15 at the University Forest, University of Maine, Orono
Southern Maine Fall Field Day: October 8, 2009 from 8:30 to 1:00 at Sebago Lake State Park, Casco
Northern Maine Fall Field Day:October 21, 2009 from 8:30 to 1:30 at the Bird Farm, Houlton High School

To register for a one of these Field Days, please visit the Maine Envirothon website at www.maineenvirothon.org.

2009 Maine Envirothon Winners Announced

2009-06-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

As a result of the State Envirothon held on May 28th at Nutting Hall, University of Maine in Orono, Jay High School will represent Maine at the international Canon Envirothon competition. The Maine Association of Conservation Districts awarded plaques to the three top-scoring high school Envirothon teams at the event. The first, second and third place winning teams respectively were: Jay High School, Dirigo High School from Dixfield, and Science Explorer Post #897 from Jay. Seventeen teams representing 16 high schools from around the state competed at this event.

Envirothon, Maine's largest high school environmental education program, is an international program representing over 500,000 high school students in the United States and Canada. First place Jay High School will represent Maine at the international Canon Envirothon competition to be held Ashville, North Carolina in early August. The international Canon Envirothon, organized by local conservation districts and other conservation agencies, is sponsored by Canon USA, in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Forest Service, National Association of Conservation Districts, Mead Westvaco Corporation, American Electric Power, Inc., and Alcoa Foundation.

The major objective of the Maine Envirothon, an effective educational tool capable of supplementing environmental education both inside and outside the classroom, is to provide opportunities for high school students or organized groups of high school-aged students to acquire and increase their outdoor skills and scientific knowledge about Maine's natural resources so that they can make informed, educated decisions about the environment. It provides students with reference materials, workshops, and hands-on, outdoor, real life experiences in five areas including forestry, wildlife, soils, aquatics, and a current issue-this year being Biodiversity in a Changing World.

Other high schools competing in the State Envirothon finals included: Ashland, Boghaunter Home School, Bonny Eagle, Bucksport, Ellsworth, Hampden Academy, Hodgdon, Lee Academy, Livermore Falls, Mt. Ararat, Nokomis, Old Town and Piscataquis Community High School. The team from Greeley High School was also eligible for the State Envirothon but was unable to attend. These teams represented the top three winning teams from six regional competitions held around the state earlier in May.

The Envirothon program would not be possible without the financial and in-kind support, expertise and/or time commitment from many natural resource-related partners. Resource specialists who cooperated in the 2009 State Envirothon included: Maine Department of Agriculture, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Forest Service, Maine's Soil and Water Conservation Districts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Unity College and the University of Maine School of Natural Resources.

Major sponsors of the 2009 State Envirothon were: Plum Creek, a "Gold Sponsor"; Poland Spring, a "Silver Sponsor"; the Maine Association of Professional Soil Scientists; Maine Wild Blueberry Commission; Maine Potato Board; Maine Association of Site Evaluators; Maine Association of Wetland Scientists; Maine Department of Environmental Protection; New England Organics; University of Maine School of Natural Resources and Canon North American Envirothon. There were many other contributors and partners that helped to make this event possible for the benefit of the students and Maine's natural resources.

An Envirothon web site for all interested teachers and students is available at http://www.envirothon.org or http://maineenvirothon.org

2009 Mock Envirothon and Spring Field Days Scheule Announced

2009-03-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Mock Envirothon and Envirothon Field Days are training sessions designed to introduceteams interested in participating in the Regional Envirothon Competitions. Teams will run through a "mock" competition, with time allotted at each station for taking and discussing tests and asking questions of the various natural resource personnel manning each station: soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, current issue. Advisers will be allowed to accompany their teams to each station during this event.

Three events will be hosted this year as follows:

April 16, 2009 at the UMaine Forrest in Orono. Hosted by Penobscot County SWCD.
April 27, 2009 at Beaver Park in Lisbon, Hosted by Androscoggin Valley SWCD.
May 1, 2009 at Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Limestone. Hosted by St. John Valley SWCD.

For more information on these events please visit www.maineenvirothon.org and click the "Mock Envirothon & Training Sessions" button.

Maine Project Learning Tree Annual Conference

2009-03-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

A great way to spend a Spring Saturday with new and old PLT friends and facilitators

When: Saturday, April 4, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lunch included

Where: Maine Audubon Society, Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, Maine

Keynote speaker: Rick Zenn, Education Director of the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon. Learn about PLT’s new high school curriculum – Global Connections: Forests of the World. Join our Forests of the World mini facilitator training and take home this in depth global connections guide.

PLT’s national initiatives – Green Schools and Early Childhood curriculum development
Enjoy walks and talks around the Audubon trails and learn new ways to connect forest learning trails with PLT activities.
A special 1.5 hour session for Maine Envirothon coaches – Biodiversity
Meet Maine GreenWorks Grants recipients - service learning projects from Massabesic to Blue Hill
And More -- 2009 Maine PLT Stewardship Award presentation! Hear stories from PLT facilitators around the state. Have fun & re-energize your PLT karma. Make it a weekend – visit family and friends in the greater Portland area and stay overnight.

Cost: $30/person – includes morning break with friends, lunch & conversation, FOTW curriculum, plus 7 contact hours

Registration deadline is March 20, 2009. Send your check today made out to Maine TREE Foundation noting the Annual Conference date.

Questions?
Please contact: Patricia Maloney
Maine PLT Coordinator
153 Hospital Street
Augusta, Maine 04330
207 626-7990
http://www.mainetreefoundation.org/
http://www.plt.org/

Attention Advisors Photo Permission Forms

2009-03-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Maine Envirothon is asking advisors to notify all students that we would like to use photos taken at Envirothon events in local newspapers, events poster and District news letters. In order to do this however, we need written permission.

Advisors please download and complete the Photo Permission Form.

Envirothon Travel Scholarships Available

2009-02-25T18:01:00.000-08:00

The Maine Chapter of the Society of American Foresters is offering transportation scholarships to groups or schools that would like to attend Envirothon but have transportation as a limiting factor. Perspective groups or schools should send a succinct one-page letter to the Maine Association of Conservation Districts explaining why this scholarship would be important to their group. Please include the following pertinent information:

Group/school name and address
Contact person for the group/school
Has this group/school participated in prior Envirothon
How many people would be attending the Regional event? (i.e one team or two teams?)
Would you consider sharing transportation resources with another team going to the same regional if in the area?
What difference would this scholarship be for the team/teams?

Successful applicants will be reimbursed on actual miles driven after the regional event. Mileage reimbursement will not exceed mileage based on Mapquest data. Mileage will be reimbursed at college rate. Passenger vehicle and buses will be reimbursed accordingly.

Please submit requests to: tish carr, MACD Education Coordinator 693 Manchester Road Belgrade ME 04917

2009 Forestry Workshop Announced

2009-02-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

The Maine Association of Conservation Districts, Unity College and the Maine Forest Service are pleased to announce that there will be a Forestry Workshop for Envirothon teams on March 20th at Unity College. Topic to be covered include:

GPS
Maps
Compass
Forestry Tools
Tree Identification
Key Silvaculture
Management
Community Forestry

For more information or to register visit the Maine Envirothon website at www.maineenvirothon.org.

Envirothon Scholarships Announced

2009-01-16T11:50:00.001-08:00

The Maine Association of Conservation Districts is pleased to announce $2,000 Scholarships to the University of Maine, Orono.

The University of Maine will award up to Three $2,000 scholarships to Envirothon Team Members. For more information download the application form.

2009 State Competition Date

2008-11-18T08:53:00.001-08:00

There has been some confusion on the actual date of the State Compeition. The Maine State Envirothon will be held on May 28th at the Unviersity of Maine in Orono.

Fall Field Day

2008-09-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Do you enjoy learning about Maine’s diverse outdoors? Do you want to work with others towards solving Maine’s environmental issues? If so then Maine Envirothon may be a great opportunity for you!

Maine Envirothon is a high school competition for high school students. At this competition students test their knowledge of forestry, soils and land use, aquatics, wildlife and current environmental issues.

The Maine Envirothon Committee will be holding a field day on October 22, 2008 at Sebago Lake State Park in Casco. This hands-on field day is for new and returning teams to gear up for the 2009 Envirothon season. Join us for this great opportunity to learn more about Envirothon and to begin for next spring’s competition.

To register contact tish carr, Education Coordinator at tish.carr@maineswcds.org or (207) 495-2392. Pre-registration is required. A student roster with advisors is required. Upon registration, a schedule of events will be mailed to you.

2008 State Envirothon Winners Announced

2008-06-03T11:20:00.001-07:00

Under sunny skies and with warm temperatures the 2008 State Envirothon was recently held at Unity College in Unity. The Maine Association of Conservation Districts awarded plaques to the three top-scoring Envirothon teams. The first, second and third place winning teams respectively were: Edward Little High School (Auburn), Boghaunter Home School (Casco), and Bonny Eagle High School (Standish). Sixteen teams representing 13 high schools from around the state competed at this event.

Envirothon, Maine’s largest high school-age environmental education program, is an international program representing over 500,000 students in the United States and Canada. First place Edward Little High School will represent Maine at the international Canon Envirothon competition to be held at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ in late July. The international Canon Envirothon, organized by local soil and water conservation districts and other conservation agencies, is sponsored by Canon USA, in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Forest Service, National Association of Conservation Districts, Mead Westvaco Corporation, American Electric Power, Inc., and Alcoa Foundation.

The major objective of the Maine Envirothon, an effective educational tool capable of supplementing environmental education both indoors and outdoors, is to provide opportunities for high school-age students, whether a home school, FFA Group, Explorer Club, Boys/Girls Club, Boy/Girl Scouts or public and private schools, to acquire and increase their outdoor skills and scientific knowledge about Maine’s natural resources so that they can make informed, educated decisions about the environment. It provides students with reference materials, workshops, and hands-on, outdoor, real life experiences in five areas including forestry, wildlife, soils, aquatics, and a current issue—this year being Recreational Impacts on Natural Resources. Each team must have an adult advisor, 18 years of age or older.

Other high schools competing in the State Envirothon finals included: Bucksport, Caribou Alternative, Dirigo, Hampden Academy, Hodgdon, Jay, Jonesport-Beals, Lee Academy, Washington Academy and Nokomis. Teams from Old Town and Ashland high schools were eligible for the State Envirothon but were unable to attend. These teams represented the top three winning teams from six regional competitions held around the state earlier in May.

The Envirothon program would not be possible without the financial and in-kind support, expertise and/or time commitment from many natural resource-related partners. Resource specialists who cooperated in the 2008 State Envirothon included: Maine Department of Agriculture, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Forest Service, Maine’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maine Audubon and the University of Maine School of Natural Resources.

Major sponsors of the 2008 State Envirothon were the Maine Association of Site Evaluators, Maine Association of Wetland Scientists, Maine Association of Professional Soil Scientists, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Potato Board, L.L. Bean, New England Organics, Oakhurst Dairy, Wild Blueberry Commission, University of Maine School of Natural Resources and Canon North American Envirothon.

There were many other contributors and partners that helped to make this event possible for the benefit of the students and Maine’s natural resources.

An Envirothon web site for all interested participants, advisors and sponsors is available at http://www.envirothon.org or http://maineswcds.org.

New Forestry Resource for Envirothon Teams

2008-02-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

Maine Envirothon has partnered with the Forestry Education Network to provide foresters as a resource for Envirothon teams. The forester will provide training and compasses for interested teams. Interested team advisors may contact their local foresters from the following list.

Forestry Education Network Foresters

Western Maine Mock Competition Time Change

2008-02-13T06:50:00.001-08:00

The starting time for the Western Maine Mock Envirothon has been changed from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. If you have already registered for this mock please update your calendar. To register for this mock visit http://maineswcds.org/envirothon/mock.htm.

Northern Maine Regional Envirothon Competition Rescheduled

2008-02-13T06:41:00.003-08:00

The Northern Maine Regional Envirothon Competition has been rescheduled for May 20, 2007. The location has also been changed to the Meduxnekeag Ramblers Snowmobile Club in Littleton.

Scholarships Available for Envirothon Students

2008-02-13T06:41:00.001-08:00

The Maine Envirothon Committee would like to make Envirothon team members aware of some scholarship opportunities available to them.

The Maine Association of Conservation Districts has two $2,000 scholarships to the University of Maine, Orono available. For more information visit www.maineswcds.org/envirothon.
The Maine Arborist Association has two $750 scholarships available. For more information visit http://www.mainearborist.org/.
The New England chapter of International Society of Arborculture has two $2,500 scholarships available. For more information visit http://www.newenglandisa.org/scholarships.html.

Maine Envirothon Committee Announces Forestry Workshop

2008-02-13T06:39:00.001-08:00

The Maine Envirothon Committee will be holding a Forestry Training Workshop at Unity College on Friday, March 21, 2008. This workshop is available for schools who have established Envirothon teams, or schools interested in forming a team. For more information on this workshop visit the Maine Envirothon website at www.maineswcds.org/envirothon/.

2008 Envirothon Competition Announced

2008-02-13T06:38:00.001-08:00

The Maine Association of Conservation Districts is pleased to announce that we are now accepting team registration for the 2008 Envirothon Season. Last year, we had over 50 teams from 32 Maine high schools registered for this program. We look forward to seeing these veteran schools again in 2008 and welcome new schools to take part in this valuable learning experience.

Envirothon is a state- and nation-wide environmental competition where high school students test their knowledge of natural resources and current environmental issues. Teams consisting of 3-5 students compete first at a regional level, answering questions and solving hands-on problems at five stations: Wildlife, Water/Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, and a Current Natural Resource Issue. This year’s current issue is Recreational Impacts on Natural Resources. The top three teams from each Regional Envirothon then compete at the State Finals at Unity College May 29th. The state’s winning team will travel to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona July 28 - August 3, 2008 for the International Competition.

Envirothon is an academic program that is aligned with the Maine Learning Results. As well as advising teams for competition, teachers throughout Maine successfully incorporate Envirothon concepts and hands-on activities into their science curricula. The program raises students’ awareness of local and national environmental issues. Envirothon integrates math, language arts, cultural land-use history, and science in ways unique to the field. Students build critical thinking and decision-making skills as they practice solving real environmental problems.

In addition to learning about the environment, applying new knowledge, collaborating to address natural resource issues, and meeting young environmentalists from around the state and nation, Maine participants are eligible for two $2000 scholarship from the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture at the University of Maine, Orono. Winners of the National Envirothon receive individual college scholarships valued at over $1000. Through this program, students have an opportunity to meet and learn from state soil scientists, biologists, foresters, and other natural resource professionals.

For more information on Envirothon please visit our website at www.maineswcds.org/envirothon.