Massachusetts State Grange will again sponsor the 2024 EnviroTrek Lunch at the Massachusetts Envirothon Competition on May 23th, 2024 at Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton. Massachusetts Envirothon is extremely grateful for their continued support!
Additionally, $1500 in scholarships will be made available to teams for the 2023-2024 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 March 1, 2024 @ 5pm. MESC will vote in early March and teams will be notified soon after.
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.
Massachusetts State Grange will again sponsor the 2023 EnviroTrek Lunch at the Massachusetts Envirothon Competition on May 25th, 2023 at Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge. Massachusetts Envirothon is extremely grateful for their continued support!
Additionally, $1500 in scholarships will be made available to teams for the 2022-2023 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 17, 2023 @ 5pm. MESC will vote in early March and teams will be notified soon after.
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!
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.
Congratulations to Groton School’s Envirothon team their 4th place finish at the 2021 Virtual NCF Envirothon!
Led by captain Amy Ma, Groton School students Amelia Lee, Alice Liu, Aisling O’Connell, and Aidan O’Connell worked hard in June and July to prepare for the Virtual NCF (National Conservation Foundation) competition hosted by the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts.
The team took 5 one hour tests on Monday with a proctor and used resources sent from Nebraska to complete the station tests in Aquatics, Wildlife, Soils, Forestry and the Current Environmental Issue: Water Resources Management: Local Control and Local Solutions. Their oral presentation was conducted over Zoom on Tuesday.
Big thanks to coach Dr. David Black Jr for his support, and Groton School staff for accommodating the team at the last minute as well as to the O’Connell family for hosting the far-flung students during the competition days. Preparing for the event this year took at lot of flexibility and creativity on top of mastering a mountain of virtual information! The MA Envirothon Steering Committee is very proud of this novice team and looks forward to their continued participation.
2021 Virtual Massachusetts Envirothon winners announced
WESTFORD, Mass., May 25, 2021 – The results are in from the 2020-2021 Massachusetts Envirothon education program and competition for high school students, which was held remotely due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Groton School was the top overall scoring team and will represent Massachusetts at the 2021 National Envirothon Competition being held virtually in July 2021.
The competition included two components, for which teams prepared for and presented remotely: the Natural Resource Challenge and the Current Issue. This year’s Current Issue topic was “Water Resource Management and Climate Change.” Winners were determined based on overall combined scores for both components.
Lexington High School placed second and Newton South High School placed third overall in the competition.
Eight teams, with three to 10 members each, participated: Acton Boxborough Regional High School, Brockton High School / Wildlands Trust, The Groton School, Lexington High School, Millbury Jr. Sr. High School, Newton South High School, Quabbin Regional High School and Shepherd Hill Regional High School (Dudley/Charlton).
The Natural Resource Challenge allowed teams to apply their knowledge of the four natural resource topic areas – soil, wildlife, water, and forest – by taking on the role of an environmental consultant. Each team submitted a 30-minute or less video presentation on their review of a fictional school building proposal. The school was to be built on a currently forested woodlands and wetlands parcel owned by a town. In their video presentations, teams identified environmental or human health issues and determined if this was the best placement for the proposed school and supporting services. They also used GIS mapping and answered questions about site soils, the Mass Wetlands Protection Act, carbon sequestration, drinking water regulations and wildlife. The Groton School (first place), Lexington (second place) and Newton South (third place) scored the highest for this challenge.
For the Current Issue portion of the Envirothon program, each team explored a significant environmental issue as it occurs in their own community and produced a 10-minute video on their research. Panels of five judges reviewed these videos and then engaged in twenty minutes of questions and discussion with each team in a live on-line meeting. To make the competition as fair as possible in this new format, a second round of judging was added, with a single panel of judges reviewing and ranking the three top scoring presentations: The Groton School (first), Lexington High School (second) and Acton-Boxboro Regional High School (third).
The Massachusetts Envirothon challenges young people to get outdoors and explore, gaining hands-on knowledge and experience of Massachusetts ecosystems. They engage with their communities and develop skills for investigating local environmental issues, and learn how to actively participate in community decisions.
The competition provides a challenge that allows participants to test their environmental knowledge and skills.
“We hope that Envirothon participants will grow in their commitment to stewardship of the environment and natural resources, and cultivate their curiosity and love of learning,” said Mass. Envirothon Steering Committee Chair Kelley Freda of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation- Division of Water Supply Protection. “The Envirothon also increases students’ awareness of career opportunities in the environmental field.”
The 2020-2021 Massachusetts Envirothon was 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, individual contributions and local conservation districts.
Multiple federal and state environmental agencies, conservation districts, non-profit organizations, higher educational institutions, and businesses are involved in planning and delivering the Massachusetts Envirothon program each year. For more information on the Massachusetts Envirothon visit www.massenvirothon.org.
8 Teams submitted videos for the 2021 Virtual MA Envirothon Current Issue: Water Management and Climate Change. We hope you’ll enjoy watching them as much as we did!
Massachusetts Envirothon 