Approximately 225 students from Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties will participate in the annual Susquehanna Valley Envirothon Wednesday at the Shikellamy State Park Overlook. This annual environmental education competition will begin at 9:15 a.m. and end with an awards presentation at 1:15 p.m. An overall team winner will be named as well as top teams from each county.
Students from grades nine through 12 will be tested at five separate stations in each of the following categories: aquatics, forestry, wildlife, soils and a current issue, which is "Grazing Lands and Pasture Management." A non-testing educational station focusing on elk will be presented by Van Wagner.
Individual county winners each advance on to the Pennsylvania State Envirothon competition being held May 21 and 22 at Juniata College in Huntingdon County. The first-place overall finisher at the state level will win an all-expense paid trip to the North American Envirothon, set for Aug. 4 through 9 at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT.
Representatives from the PA Fish Commission, PA Game Commission, Bureau of Forestry, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Bureau of State Parks will conduct the testing at each station. The PA Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation District personnel will also be assisting at the event.
The competition is sponsored by Northridge Group Inc., Byerly Brothers, The Northumberland National Bank, LB Water, JD Feaster Earthworks Inc., Suez Environnement United Water, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 84 of Bloomsburg, Middleswarth Potato Chips, Central Susquehanna Woodland Owners Association, Family Practice Center P.C., Roaring Creek Valley Conservation Association, Fishing Creek Watershed Association, Wood Mode Inc., RJ Hoffman & Sons, Bingaman & Son Lumber Inc., Meckley's Limestone Products Inc., Heister House Millworks, Ted Heaps Container Service, Mensch Recycling of Sunbury, Stackhouse & Son Well Drilling, Keffer & Associates Inc., and the local conservation districts of Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties.
The Envirothon program is designed to heighten environmental awareness in each student, test their knowledge and understanding of natural resource issues, and produce environmentally responsible adults. Pennsylvania is the birthplace of the Envirothon.