Congratulations to the Envirothon team from Academies of Loudoun who competed in our Local and Area competitions to make it all the way to the state competition at VSU on May 21-22, 2023!! Pictured from left to right: Jiho Oh, Samhitha Kolapalli, Juliet Correll, Seth Gardner, Mani Ajdari.

What is Envirothon?

The Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon is a team based natural resources competition for high school students. Students who participate learn stewardship and management concepts and work to solve real world environmental problems. The program is field-oriented, community based and gives students an opportunity to work with natural resource professionals.

Click HERE for a video overview of the Virginia Dominion Envirothon competition!

Who makes up a team and what do they do?

Students work in teams of five.  Throughout the school year students prepare to compete at the local level, qualify to then compete at the area level (Loudoun County is part of Area II) and the top three teams from each of the six Soil & Water Conservation District areas in the state compete to be the State Winner.  These teams of high school students are tested on their knowledge of natural resources-soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics and a current environmental issue.  Students visit five “in-the-field” test stations where written and hands-on problem solving is required along with an oral presentation formulating a strategy to address a specific environmental issue they’ve been presented with.  The event is competitive but education is the bottom line.

Teams can be created through school clubs, classes, home school groups, 4-H groups, scout troops, local nature centers etc.  The only requirements of at team are a minimum of five students and one adult advisor/chaperone.

Want to get involved? 

If you are interested in learning more, we encourage potential coaches and/or interested students to attend both the VIRTUAL KICKOFF event and our fall training event, details and registration links below!

  • Virtual Envirothon Kickoff – Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=OIQa9CQiFXY. Envirothon coaches, students, prospective participants, SWCD Staff, directors, partners, eattended this 1-hour meeting to kick off the start of the 2023-2024 Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon Program year in October. Information on the Envirothon Program was shared along with the unveiling of the 2024 Oral Presentation Scenario.
  • We also encourage interested Loudoun students and coaches to attend an all day hands-on training scheduled this fall at Graves Mountain on November 18, 2023.  Beginner and advanced tracks offered. Details below, please reach out to jennifer.venable@lswcd.org if you are interested in attending, there may be funds to cover the registration cost:

• In-person at Graves Mountain Lodge in Madison County on Saturday
November 18, 2023 from 9am to 4pm
• $22 per person including lunch & coffee/$5 just training
• Special topic: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future
• Panel includes representatives from solar industry, zoning, taxation,
plant & soil science professors, DEQ, DOF and more!
• Coaches’ meeting
• Every team gets a free set of deer jawbones!
• To register: https://forms.office.com/g/hMLRan1UwP

Virginia’s Envirothon program is also supported through the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund. Proceeds from the sale of the Bay license plates help citizens keep the bay healthy by restoring wetlands, planting buffers around waterways, promoting marine life restoration, decreasing pollution and providing educational programs like Envirothon.  To purchase a Bay license plate visit: https://dls.virginia.gov/commissions/cbr.htm

Envirothon 2023-24 information:

The 2023-24 current issue/special topic -“Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future”. Go to https://vaswcd.org/learning-objectivesoral-presentation/ to learn more.

Upcoming Events:

  • Virtual Envirothon Kickoff Event- Wed 10/25 4:30-5:30PM. Envirothon Coaches, Students, prospective participants, SWCD Staff, Directors, partners, ect. are all welcome to attend this 1-hour meeting to kick off the start of the 2023-2024 Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon Program year. Information on the Envirothon Program will be shared along with the unveiling of the 2024 Oral Presentation Scenario. This event will be recorded and shared if you are unable to attend live. Please reach out to maura.christian@vaswcd.org with any questions. Register online here.
  • Envirothon Training- November 18, 2023. If you are interested in learning more, we encourage potential coaches and/or interested students to attend both the VIRTUAL KICKOFF event and also the all day hands-on training scheduled this fall at Graves Mountain on November 18, 2023.  Beginner and advanced tracks offered. See above for registration link.
  • Team commitment deadline- January 31, 2024 Please email jennifer.venable@lswcd.org to notify of a team’s intent on competing by this date or you will not be able to compete.
  • Local competition- Saturday, March 9th at Sully Woodlands Stewardship Education Center at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly. The top two finishing teams from Loudoun will move on to the Area 2 competition.
  • Area 2 competition– Thursday April 25, 2024 at Northern Fauquier County Community Park & Sports Complex. The top three teams will move on to the state competition. The top three teams must represent three different groups ex. different schools, FFA team, 4-H Club, Scout troop, home school group etc.
  • State competition – May 19-20, 2024 at Radford University. The first-place team will represent Virginia at the NCF-Envirothon (July 28 – Aug 3, 2024). If the firstplace team is unable to go, the second-place team will represent Virginia at the North American Envirothon contest. VASWCD will cover registration and fees for 5 team members and 1-2 coaches at the North American competition.
  • NCF-Envirothon – The 2024 International Competition will take place on July 28 – Aug 3, 2024 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York.
 

Additional Resources & Information: