It had been three long years since we have been able to host the Northwest Regional Envirothon competition in person. In 2020, the sudden onset of COVID-19 forced conservation districts to cancel all Envirothon competitions. In 2021, regional competitions were skipped and a virtual state competition was held. Finally, on March 24 of this year, we gathered in person once again at Brightwater Educational Center in Woodinville, WA, taking safety precautions and wearing masks.
Envirothon is an environmental science competition for high school students that is planned by Washington conservation districts. The competition is more than students simply answering questions correctly. It challenges teens to think through real-world problem solving and work together to come up with creative solutions.
Five teams of high school students from King and Snohomish County competed on four standard topics—aquatics ecology, forestry, soils and land use, and wildlife—plus a current topic for oral presentations. This year’s current topic was Waste to Resources. Our test proctors and volunteers commented this year on how wonderful it is to hear the students working out the answers to the questions together. We have no doubt that all our participants walked away with new ideas in their heads.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the regional competition!
First Place: Foster High School in Tukwila
Second Place: Sequoia High School in Everett
Third Place: Why Not You Academy in Des Moines
Because the first two placed teams are from different counties, both will go to the state competition to be held on May 17, 2022, near Ellensburg.
The Northwest Regional Envirothon competition would not be possible without conservation district colleagues and board supervisors from King, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom who led and coordinated this annual environmental education. We’d also like to thank our partners at King County Wastewater Treatment Division, Snohomish County Surface Water Management, City of Everett, Puget Sound Air Agency, and Brightwater Education Center for their test-writing, proctoring, and career guidance. We are also grateful to the Washington State Conservation Commission for financially supporting this work. And, last but not least, we want to thank the wonderful advisors and students, all first-time participants, for joining us for this educational, fun, and interactive competition!
Rosie joined KCD in October as the Education Events and Technology Specialist serving through the Washington Service Corps.