You're receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to our mailing list.
Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe from this Newsletter.
Having trouble viewing this email? View in your browser.

Header

2019 Spring ENVIROTHON UPDATES

Who will help lead the National Anthem at the 2019 State Envirothon?

The Pennsylvania Envirothon is seeking an individual or an Envirothon team, who is attending the State Competition, to lead us in singing the National Anthem at the start of the day on Wednesday. If a student(s) or a team is interested, please contact the Pennsylvania Envirothon Executive Director, Lorelle Steach or phone (814) 310-3271.

 

2019 Pennsylvania Envirothon

The 36th Pennsylvania Envirothon is slated to be held on Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 22. We are expecting 67 teams to compete for top honors and the chance to represent Pennsylvania at the NCF-Envirothon international competition being held in July at North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Tuesday’s events take place on the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown (UPJ) campus, located in a suburb of Johnstown. These events include: registration, oral presentation component (preparation and presentation), dinner, and an evening program.

Envirothon teams staying on campus are housed in the University's residence halls. Please follow the Envirothon directional signs as you arrive on campus. Main registration is held in the Student Union Building Cambria Room and Lobby.

Wednesday’s station testing and closing ceremony will take place at the Windber Recreational Park, approximately seven miles east of the UPJ campus. After checkout and breakfast, teams pack up and travel from UPJ to the Park for Wednesday’s events.

Johnstown has a variety of historical and cultural sites to visit. While there, you may want to take time to visit the Johnstown Flood Museum, the Inclined Plane, or the Flight 93 Memorial.

The 2019 registration information will soon be posted to the Envirothon website - visit Registration.

 

Oral Presentation Component—State Envirothon

The oral component presentation is mandatory for all teams participating in the state competition. The oral component score is combined with the testing station scores to decide the winning team.

The 2019 oral component scenario will be posted to the Pennsylvania Envirothon website on Monday, May 13, one week prior to the event. This provides an opportunity for teams to prepare for their oral presentation prior to arriving at the state event. Teams are able to utilize existing resources, research new information, and obtain input and guidance from advisors to enhance their presentation.

Upon completing their county competition, winning teams receive a registration packet that includes the Oral Component Rules and Guidelines and a schedule of presentation times. If your team cannot make its assigned time, please contact the Pennsylvania Envirothon Executive Director, Lorelle Steach or phone (814) 310-3271.

 

Volunteers Needed for 2019 State Competition!

The Envirothon Board of Directors invites all conservation districts, partners, sponsors, agencies, financial contributors, organizations, and friends to volunteer to help with its 36th Pennsylvania Envirothon State event being held May 21 and 22, 2019.

More than 100 volunteers are needed to assist with the oral presentation component and the station testing competition. Volunteers serve as oral component presentation judges, team buddies, timers, station judges, lunch deliverers, along with other tasks.

To receive information on how you can volunteer for the 2019 Pennsylvania Envirothon, visit the Pennsylvania Envirothon website’s Registration page or contact your county conservation district or the Pennsylvania Envirothon Executive Director, Lorelle Steach or (814) 310-3271.

 

Learn about the Johnstown Flood

Each year the Pennsylvania Envirothon holds a special educational program on Tuesday evening for all the teams and volunteers. We are pleased to have Nathan Koozer, National Park Service Park Ranger, as our guest speaker for this year’s program. Nathan will showcase the famous tragedy for which Johnstown is best known, the bursting of a dam in 1889.

The Johnstown Flood was caused by a combination of natural and man-made contributions. It was one of the worst disasters in American history. Our nation had fought five wars, but the 1889 flood was the first large scale loss of life and property from a disaster such as this. It had a profound impact on all Americans. Though the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club has always been saddled with the blame for this disaster, history shows that it is not quite that simple.

Nathan will walk us through the events leading up to the flood, during the flood, and what occurred afterwards: the coming together of Johnstown’s residents as they worked together to help recover and rebuild their city.

 

Connecting Your Students to Science with PA State Parks

Coaches and teachers attending the 2019 Pennsylvania Envirothon have the opportunity to attend a session led by Carissa Longo, PA DCNR Bureau of State Parks Environmental Education Program Coordinator. Participants will learn that Pennsylvania’s 121 State Parks are meant for more than picnicking, swimming, and camping. They are accessible outdoor classrooms with trained Environmental Educators who utilize standards-based curricula to offer professional development opportunities for teachers and hands-on field experiences for students. This interactive session will offer a sampling of phenomena-based activities offered by PA State Park Educators.

 

THANK YOU—Department of Environmental Protection!

Pennsylvania Envirothon received a DEP Environmental Education grant in the amount of $100,000. The grant from DEP enables the Pennsylvania Envirothon to coordinate and fund activities of the Envirothon including mini-grant support for county conservation districts. This grant is just a small portion of what Pennsylvania invests in environmental awareness.

Each year, Pennsylvania invests in its schools, county conservation districts, and other nonprofit organizations to improve environmental awareness among students and adults alike.

The Environmental Education Grant Program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993, which mandates that five percent of all pollution fines and penalties collected annually by the Department of Environmental Protection be set aside for environmental education. Since the inception of the environmental education grant program, DEP has awarded more than $10 million in grants to support the environmental education efforts throughout Pennsylvania.

Administered through DEP, the funds are used for projects ranging from creative, hands-on lessons for students, teacher training programs, outdoor learning resources to conservation education for adults.

 

THANK YOU—Department of Conservation and Natural Resources!

Pennsylvania Envirothon received a DCNR Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant in the amount of $47,000. The grant from DCNR enables the Pennsylvania Envirothon to coordinate and fund activities of the Envirothon including mini-grant support for county conservation districts.

DCNR is the primary source of state support for Pennsylvania recreation, parks, and conservation initiatives. Grant funding from DCNR assists hundreds of communities and organizations across Pennsylvania to plan, acquire, and develop recreation and park facilities, create trails, and conserve open space.

“Pennsylvania’s local parks, trails, and natural areas create many opportunities to be active outdoors. They define our communities and make them places where people want to live, work and play,” said Lauren Imgrund, director of DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. “Our grants help our local partners meet the vision they have for their communities and regions.”

Funding for the grants comes from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund (Key 93), the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener 1), and federal funding sources.

 

Envirothon Gear for Sale

Whether it’s cold, warm, or you just want to show your Envirothon spirit, get your Envirothon gear at the State Competition. T-shirts, hats, hoodies, and polo shirts are available for purchase. The gray t-shirts and maroon hats along with green polos have an embroidered Pennsylvania Envirothon logo. The gray hoodies and polos have a screen printed logo. Contact the Envirothon for an order form or for more information.

 

Where Are They Now?

Eric Zavinski, Jamestown Post-Journal Reporter

My Envirothon experience growing up in Warren County has proven a valuable skill to me in my adult life — and I'm about as far away as you get in terms of profession from a science-related field!

My craft is words, language and storytelling. Specifically as of now, my full-time job is as a reporter at The Post-Journal newspaper in the city of Jamestown, NY. During my work here, I've thoroughly covered an environmental beat, specifically the health and welfare of Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County.

It is a very politicized issue; various lake stakeholders have different opinions regarding the usage of herbicides, weed harvesting, stormwater management, watershed health and so much more. If I was lost on these areas of environmental science, my coverage would be a lot rockier to say the least.

First being introduced to everything from river classification, watersheds, sedimentation and nutrient loads to pollution, herbicides and a whole lot more in high school earth science and then Envirothon itself, I'm now using my background knowledge to better the local community and educate readers on the polarizing issues of how to treat the lake for harmful algal blooms and invasive weeds.
These macrophytes have plagued the shorelines of thousands of residents and have contributed to fish kills, pollution and a shaky yet budding tourism-centric economy.

There is so much that goes into a developing story like this one, and I can attribute some of my inquisitive environmental nature to the tools that I worked on during the Envirothon competitions.

Without my Envirothon background, it would have taken me a lot longer to learn the ins and outs of this complicated subject matter. I want to thank everyone involved with Envirothon for making a lasting difference, even if it was not at first that obvious for me what that difference would end up being when I was a high school student a few years ago.

I always intended on being a writer, but still wanted to be a lifelong learner and commit to the study of subjects, like environmental science, that could enlighten me further. I hope that many more youth continue to think that way!



Copyright © Pennsylvania Envirothon 2024

Footer