In 2013, The New Jersey Envirothon celebrated 20 years of experiential learning for New Jersey high school students! Click here for a PDF flyer and program description.
For more details, registration information and study guides, visit the New Jersey Envirothon website. If you have questions, please contact Holly Reynolds, NJ Envirothon Coordinator, at (732) 683-8500 or info@freeholdscd.org.
The Envirothon is a nationally recognized natural resources competition for teams of high school students, designed to promote team-work and hands-on learning in the areas of Aquatics, Wildlife, Soils, Forestry and a current environmental issue. The 2014 current issue, as determined by the North American Envirothon committee, is “Sustainable Local Agriculture / Locally Grown”.
The 2014 New Jersey Envirothon will be held on May 3, 2014, at The New Jersey School of Conservation in Sussex County, New Jersey (see the NJ Envirothon link above for details). New Jersey’s first place team will go on to represent our state at the North American Envirothon.
The Mercer County Soil Conservation District was responsible for bringing the first statewide Envirothon Competition to New Jersey in 1994. Participation in this exciting event has grown each year as students eagerly test their knowledge against other NJ high school students to see who will represent the Garden State at the Canon Envirothon.
Students are provided with Envirothon study guides and they have an opportunity to attend training workshops wherSavee they work and learn side-by-side with natural resource professionals. Teams are also encouraged to loan out the Envirothon Training Trunk, and to take advantage of local resources, such as nature centers, parks, and environmental or natural resource professionals in their area.
June 22, 2005 Press Release:
Local School Earns Second Place at the 2005 New Jersey Envirothon!
A team of five students from Hopewell Valley High School continued their streak of great performances at the New Jersey Envirothon by capturing second place at this year’s competition. The 2005 NJ Envirothon was held at the North Branch Park in Bridgewater, Somerset County, on Saturday, May 7.
With guidance throughout the school year from their team advisors Ms. Sarah Sherwin and Mr. Jeff Neumann, the Hopewell Envirothon team prepared for this day-long natural resources competition by learning about New Jersey’s forests, wildlife, soils, aquatic resources, and a current issue. This year’s current issue was “Managing Our Cultural Landscapes”. After a night of camping and fun on Friday night, the team competed in written and hands-on tests against 36 other teams from 15 New Jersey counties. The students also delivered a presentation about the New Jersey Highlands Region. They used their public speaking skills to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the Highlands while at the same time recognizing the viewpoints and concerns of various stakeholders in this unique region of New Jersey.
In addition to winning second place overall (which they missed by only 8 tenths of a point!), the team from Hopewell earned the highest score on the Aquatics, Current Issues and Forestry sections of the test. The first place team was from High Tech High School in Hudson County. The third place team was from Vernon Township High School in Sussex County.
Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the 2005 Envirothon! To learn more about next year’s New Jersey Envirothon, which will be held at the Quail Hill Scout Reservation in Monmouth County, contact Richard Belcher at the State Soil Conservation Committee at (609) 292-5540 or the Mercer County Soil Conservation District at (609) 586-9603.
The New Jersey Envirothon is sponsored by the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts, NJ Department of Agriculture – State Soil Conservation Committee, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, NJ Department of Environmental Protection and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Above: The Hopewell team is recognized at the 2005 NJ Conservation Awards Ceremony. From left to right: Ms. Sarah Sherwin, advisor, Kate Huebner, Kristianne Van Plantinga, Sami Nichols, Hope Connolly, Samara Henderek, Mr. Ed DiPolvere, MCSCD Chairman.
Above: Students from Hopewell Valley High School examine tree samples at the Central NJ Envirothon Training Workshop held at the Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson, NJ.
Students work together at the Soils Station of the New Jersey Envirothon.