Clinton/Centre County Conservation District Team to help local students
LOCK HAVEN, PA – Seventy-one eager students from Clinton and Centre Counties assembled on the campus of Lock Haven University on March 15 to expand their knowledge of Pennsylvania’s natural resources study and prepare for upcoming County Envirothon competitions.
The Envirothon is an annual environmentally-themed academic competition for high school students. The Envirothon combines in-class and hands-on environmental education in a competition setting which involves a problem-solving presentation as well as written field tests. The competition tests students on five core subjects- aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife- along with a fifth annually-changing subtopic which focuses on relevant environmental issues. Clinton County Conservation District Watershed Specialist, Toby Boyer, noted, “besides having fun, the goal of the Envirothon program is to give high school students the knowledge they will need as adults to make informed decisions about their environment and conservation of natural resources.”
The study material and learning objectives used are correlated with the PA Academic Standards and Assessment Anchors for Environment and Ecology.
The study day at Lock Haven University was a joint-effort between the Clinton and Centre County Conservation Districts to help students prepare for the competition.
Representatives from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the PA Game Commission (PGC), the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), and the Centre and Clinton Conservation Districts were all in attendance. Both High School and Middle School students from Central Mountain, Sugar Valley Rural Charter, and Bald Eagle Area School Districts participated in the event. “Thirty-three years ago, I competed in the Clinton County Envirothon as a student,” said Wade Jodun who went on to have a 22-year career with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and currently serves as the Manager of the Clinton County Conservation District.
The Clinton County Envirothon will be held on April 6 and the winning team of five students will move on to the state competition. This year will mark the 36th year that Clinton County has hosted a county competition.
