The Licensed Site Professional Association‘s 30 for 30 grant program has awarded $6500 to MA Envirothon to distribute to teams to cover transportation and registration fees.
Thanks to the generosity of the Licensed Site Professional Association (LSPA) 30for30 Grant program, Envirothon teams that serve students from environmental justice designated areas may apply for funds to cover registration and transportation to events in spring and fall of 2024.
To see if your community qualifies, please refer to this map.
To apply for funding, please complete the this short form, including how much you are asking for and how the funds will be spent.
Priority will be given to:
Teams who are new to the program or
Teams who are willing and able to “bus-pool” with other teams (in district or nearby) or
Teams who are able to get their sending district to cover a portion of the total cost
If you have any questions, contact massenvirothon@gmail.com! We are excited for this opportunity to provide support for our Envirothon teams and happy to work with you to get permission from your administration/district to participate.
Huge thanks to the LSPA for recognizing the importance of work Envirothon teams are doing in their communities and helping amplify their voices! We look forward to working with Association members to mentor teams in the future!
Congratulations to Jamie Yu, Caroline Ehmann, Jocelyn Chen, Eileen Ho, Christopher Yoo and coach Steve Wilkins from Lexington High School on their incredible performance at the 2023 NCF Envirothon in New Brunswick!
As one of the top three teams, they presented in front of a special panel of judges- you can watch them here starting at 2:36:00. These amazing youths also won all of the station tests (scoresheet!) – and had fun!!
And here is a google album of photos of the team in New Brunswick (thanks for the pictures NCF Envirothon!) and training beforehand in MA.
The team was honored by Governor Healy at the State House in late August.
Governor Healey presented the team with a proclamation honoring their historic triumph at the State House in late August. She wanted details on the legislation the team prepared for their town selectmen around improving energy efficiency in homes in Lexington as part of their MA Current Issue and Community Engagement award.
We are so proud of the team and grateful to their families and the greater Envirothon community for their support of the program.
Teams from across the Commonwealth are gathering at Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge, MA on Thursday May 25th, 2023 to compete at the 36th Annual Massachusetts Envirothon! They will be supported by over a hundred volunteers from a wide network of environmental professionals. More information can be found in our Zero Waste eProgram We’re excited!
Massachusetts Envirothon 2018
Local teens to compete in Mass. Envirothon on Thursday, May 25th at Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, Uxbridge
UXBRIDGE, Mass., May 19, 2023 – For the past school year, high school students across the commonwealth have been studying climate change in their community, assessing climate change vulnerabilities and assets, researching nature-based solutions, interviewing people who make decisions, and thinking about how to include those who have not yet joined the conversation.
They’ll present their findings at the 36th annual Massachusetts Envirothon competition on Thursday, May 25th at the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge, Mass. The approximately 120 students from 18 Massachusetts communities will also test their knowledge of the area’s soils, forests, water, and wildlife as part of the competition.
At this outdoor field event, teams will rotate through four “ecostations” where they will answer written questions and engage in hands-on activities such as soil analysis, wildlife habitat assessment, tree identification, and water quality measures. Each team will have 5 participants and schools had an option to bring a 2nd team.
At the fifth station, the Current Issue, each team will give a 15-minute presentation on “Climate Change in Your Community” to a panel of judges. Teams have been researching the Current Issue in their own community in preparation for their presentation. Each panel of judges includes concerned citizens and environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit organizations, academia and private industry. Teams were asked to craft a proposal for the highest priority action their community should take to address climate change and identify what specific next steps will be required to make it happen.
“These teams work hard getting to know their local ecosystems and how their communities depend on them. We test their scientific knowledge, but we also like to hear their stories about how they have gotten muddy, cold, and tired, and otherwise had fun and fallen in love with nature in their neighborhood. The best hope for the future comes from engaged, scientifically literate citizens who care about their communities and the environment,” said Kelley Freda of the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of Water Supply Protection and former chair of the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee.
“The Envirothon is more than just a competition about environmental knowledge. Many teams have taken what they’ve learned and put it to work in an action/service project in their community. The program aims to prepare the next generation for the stewardship work that needs to be done,” said Freda. “And this annual competition actually becomes a festive gathering of the environmental community of Massachusetts. At informal lunchtime roundtables, teams will share stories from their EnviroTreks – places they visited, people they talked to, outdoor experiences, and service projects – during the past year.”
The overall winning team will have the opportunity to represent Massachusetts in the North American Envirothon, which will be held July 23-29 in Tantramar, New Brunswick, Canada.
The 2023 Massachusetts Envirothon is made possible through the contributions of partnering agencies and organizations, including financial support from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, the U.S. Forest Service, the Massachusetts State Grange, Smithfield Foods, Soil Scientists of Southern New England, Green Newton, Wegman’s supermarkets and local conservation districts.
Fifteen federal and state environmental agencies, conservation districts, non-profit organizations, higher educational institutions, and businesses provide expertise and help organize the event. Dozens of volunteers will also be on hand on May 25th to handle all the event logistics from setting up tents, tables and chairs, checking-in teams, serving food, scoring tests and cleaning up.
They did it! Nayrie, Jaime, Caroline, Robin, and Eileen took 1st place at the NCF Envirothon in Ohio. This is the first time a team from MA has won the competition. Here is a link to the news release from NCF.
Congratulations to Lexington High School for taking first place at the 35th annual Massachusetts Envirothon! These 5 fabulous Lexington High School students have earned a spot at the National Conservation Foundation’s Envirothon Competition at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio at the end of July. They need your help to get there!
The Lexington Green Team heading to a station at the May 12th competition
Nayrie, Robin, Eileen, Caroline and Jaime worked hard this year to prepare for the Massachusetts Envirothon and they swept the field on May 12 taking 1st place in every category: Water, Wildlife, Soil, Forestry and Current Issue. They were determined to win and we know they will excel in Ohio!
Dig deep! We can leave the soil layer analysis in their very capable hands!
We are so excited to have them represent the Commonwealth at the International NCF Envirothon. Teams are gathering from almost every state and province in the US and Canada and will be joined by teams from China after two long years of virtual events.
Can you make a donation to help them travel to Ohio? Your tax deductible donation to Mass. Envirothon will help offset team travel expenses. Click here to Donate today!
“Achieving a Zero Waste Future for Massachusetts” was the Current Issue
Lexington High School – The overall top scoring team
BELCHERTOWN, Mass., May 12, 2022 – For the past school year, 100 high school students from 14 Massachusetts communities across the commonwealth have been studying the possibility of achieving a zero-waste future for Massachusetts, as well as increasing their knowledge of soils, water, forests and wildlife. They tested their knowledge and presented their findings at the 35th annual Massachusetts Envirothon competition on Thursday, May 12th at the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown, Mass.
At this outdoor field event, teams rotated through four “ecostations” where they answered written questions and engaged in hands-on activities such as soil analysis, wildlife habitat assessment, tree identification, and water quality testing. Each team had up to 10 participants.
At the fifth station, the Current Issue, each team gave a 15-minute presentation on “Achieving a Zero Waste Future for Massachusetts” to a panel of judges. Teams had been researching the Current Issue in their own community in preparation for their presentation. Each panel of judges included concerned citizens and environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit organizations, academia and private industry. Teams were asked to envision a zero-waste future and what changes would be required in how we produce, distribute, sell, and use products and services as a society to achieve it.
This year’s top scoring teams are:
Overall:
1.
Lexington High School
2.
The Groton School
3.
Shepherd Hill Regional High School
4.
Doherty Memorial High School
5.
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Current Issue presentation:
1.
Lexington High School, Blue team
2.
The Groton School, Blue team
3.
Doherty Memorial High School, Gold team
Forests ecostation:
1.
Lexington High School, Blue team
2.
Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School
3.
Lexington High School, Green team
Soils ecostation:
1.
Lexington High School, Blue team
2.
The Groton School, Green team
3
The Groton School, Blue team
Water ecostation:
1.
Lexington High School, Blue team
2.
Lexington High School, Green team
3.
The Groton School, Blue team
Wildlife ecostation:
1.
Lexington High School, Blue team
2.
Lexington High School, Green team
3.
The Groton School, Blue team
“These teams work hard getting to know their local ecosystems and how their communities depend on them. We test their scientific knowledge, but we also like to hear their stories about how they have gotten muddy, cold, and tired, and otherwise had fun and fallen in love with nature in their neighborhood. The best hope for the future comes from engaged, scientifically literate citizens who care about their communities and the environment,” said Kelley Freda of the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of Water Supply Protection and Chair of the Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee.
“The Envirothon is more than just a competition about environmental knowledge. Many teams have taken what they’ve learned and put it to work in an action/service project in their community. The program aims to prepare the next generation for the stewardship work that needs to be done,” said Freda. “And this annual competition actually becomes a festive gathering of the environmental community of Massachusetts where students learn from the environmental professionals and the environmental professionals learn from the students.”
The overall winning team will have the opportunity to represent Massachusetts in the North American Envirothon, which will be held July 24-30, 2022 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
The 2022 Massachusetts Envirothon is made possible through the contributions of partnering agencies and organizations, including financial support from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, the U.S. Forest Service, the Massachusetts Grange, Environmental Business Council of New England, Smithfield Foods, the Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England, and local conservation districts.
Fifteen federal and state environmental agencies, conservation districts, non-profit organizations, higher educational institutions, and businesses provide expertise and help organize the event. Dozens of volunteers were also on hand for the competition to handle all the event logistics from setting up tents, tables and chairs, checking-in teams, serving food, scoring tests and cleaning up.
For this year’s event, compostable products were sourced for the food tent and City Compost and the Millbury Environmental Council assisted in sorting waste, resulting in less than a grocery bag of waste for the landfill. For more information on the Massachusetts Envirothon visit www.massenvirothon.org.
Massachusetts State Grange will again sponsor the 2022 EnviroTrek Lunch at the Massachusetts Envirothon Competition on May 12th, 2022 at Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown. Massachusetts Envirothon is extremely grateful for their continued support!
Additionally, $1500 in scholarships will be made available to teams for the 2021-2022 program year..
Teams are be invited to propose how they would spend this scholarship money – e.g. Envirothon related equipment, field trips, transportation, or registration. Priority will be given to new teams, teams that have not been awarded grants previously, and teams with financial need.
To apply, fill out the form below! Applications are due by Feb 21, 2022 @ 5pm. MESC will vote on Feb 23, 2022 and teams will be notified soon after.
You are invited to watch the 2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony for Massachusetts Envirothon! Celebrate the hard work teams have achieved during this year of virtual learning. Click here to watch a recording of the zoom webinar from Friday May 21, 2021.
Current Issue sessions look different this year, but there is still an excellent exchange of learning between teams and judges! The Envirothon community is strong and resilient!
Is it a good idea to build a new high school on a piece of forested land? What is your community doing to protect local water resources in light of climate change impacts? High School aged youth across the commonwealth are invited to tackle a virtual “Natural Resource Challenge” and this year’s Current Issue “Water Resources and Climate Change” by submitting 2 presentations in early May. The highest scoring team of 5-10 students will move on to represent Massachusetts in the virtual NCF Envirothon in July! Read more here
The Natural Resource Challenge asks teams to evaluate the impact of a new high school on the soil, water, wildlife, and forest of this piece of land. Using a free GIS mapping program (provided by MassGIS) and many curated online resources teams will submit a video of their findings to Envirothon ecostation leaders. Since we can’t gather in a tent, Current Issue presentations will be held over zoom! Submit your 10 minute video about what your community is doing to protect water resources and then have a conversation with a panel of judges to discuss your findings! more details here
Get yourself outside! Safely, of course! Nature is all around you, no matter where you live. Can you find 15 minutes a few times a week to head out the door and look (and listen!) around you?
Go outside, wherever you live, and make observations of the ‘wildness’ around you with a special eye to the connection of wildlife, water, soils and forests. Select the same area (yard, vacant lot, field, woods, neighborhood) every time you go outside so you can gain a better understanding of the natural world you inhabit. Engage all of your senses, connect to your surroundings, learn who and what are your natural neighbors, ask questions, be curious, spend 15 minutes 3x/week on the same Engagement. Once the fifth Engagement is completed start again at number one since there will be many natural changes throughout the seasons.
Collaborate with your teammates as you each go out to investigate your own respective area at the same time and day, make observations and then reconvene, electronically, to compare and contrast your observations, and share reflections on the experience. Feel free to share your observations or questions with Pam Landry, MassWildlife Education Coordinator at pam.landry@mass.gov. Please put Envirothon Engagement in the subject line. For Massachusetts wildlife fact sheets visit https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-fisheries-and-wildlife
Engagement #1: Observation (Learning to Look, Looking to See) It’s a pdf you can print with directions and space for a journal entry- or just jot the info down on paper to share with your team when you connect virtually.
Engagement #3: Trees! Did you catch the webinar on Tree ID? Even if you didn’t, head out and take a look around- what characteristics do you notice? Do you see any wildlife using the trees? Are there different kinds of trees in different places? Let us know what you observe!
Engagement #4: Birds! Were you one of the millions of folks who got really excited about watching birds at the beginning of the pandemic? Even if you’re not a certified bird nerd (yet), take a look (and a listen!) around outside and notice your feathered neighbors.
Engagement #5: Focused Observation of Wildlife– Can you find a critter to watch near you? Yes Squirrels count, but is there anything else in your neighborhood? What did you need to do to observe the animal?
Massachusetts Envirothon 