On May 4, I traveled to the annual Envirothon, along with Will McBrier, Andrew O’Neil Makal, Matthew Bond, Hayden Hutchinson, and Mr. Colwell. The Envirothon is a competition that takes place yearly at Headwaters Park, where students must answer questions about the conservation of our local environment, along with species identification as well. The competition is broken up into five categories: Current Issue, Soils/Land Use, Aquatics, Forestry, and Wildlife. The Current Issue topic is a unique category that changes each year; the theme for 2023 was “Adapting to a Changing Climate”. The goal of the competition is to foster respect for the environment in both middle and high schoolers by quizzing them about their knowledge of local species, habitats, and regulations.

The Envirothon originally began in 1979, with only three counties in Pennsylvania hosting it. Now, it has grown to an international scale, encompassing the entire state of Pennsylvania. This year marks the 44^th annual Envirothon, with more than 40,000 students participating across the state. In order to gain some insight into the importance of these events, several of the team members this year were willing to comment.

“Academic competitions similar to Envirothon are important because they give students the chance to put their knowledge to work in a competitive environment, as well as a chance to interact with people who may have similar interests,” said senior William McBrier. “I feel that the Ramblers could eventually become a big name in the Envirothon world, and I feel that upcoming students could find means to enjoy it like I did, but also bring home some hardware.”

I personally believe that friendly events like the Envirothon are a great way to get students interested in preserving the environment. I have not only participated in it as a high school student, but also from the beginning of my time in middle school. It has certainly led me to gain a greater appreciation of the world around me in Erie County. Not only are we fortunate enough to live in one of the most heavily forested states, but we also have the advantage of living next to Lake Erie, providing citizens with many fishing and hunting opportunities. Such activities are irrevocably intertwined with the conservation of local species and habitats—if we do not work now to preserve them, no one will be able to enjoy them in the future. Thus, the Envirothon has become an important part of my high school experience—it is just a great day to go outside with some friends, and test your outdoorsy mettle. If the Envirothon sounds like something that you may be interested in doing, please contact Mr. Colwell. We look forward to seeing you!