Local high schools students demonstrated their knowledge of Minnesota’s natural resources at the 18th annual Area Envirothon, Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at the Rydell Refuge near Erskine. The Norman County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) help organize the event.
24 teams from the 3 county area: Norman, West Polk, East Polk and Red Lake participated in the Rydell Refuge Envirothon. Local teams participating were; 5 teams participated from Norman County West and 6 teams participated from Norman County East. The top 3 teams advancing to the state from our area are Climax/Shelly, Mahnomen and Norman County West. Norman County East placed 4th this year. The State Envirothon will be held on May 21 at McColl Pond near Savage, Mn. The state champion will attend the Canon National Envirothon in Pennsylvania in July. Winners of the Canon National Envirothon will receive prizes and scholarship money.
The Envirothon consists of 6 learning stations covering soils, aquatics, wildlife and forestry, as well as a learning station that changes each year (this year’s topic is non-point source pollution/low impact development). Each four – or five-member student team must also give an oral presentation on this topic. Natural resource professionals at each station use the outdoors to test the students’ knowledge of the natural world.
Local funding for the Envirothon is provided by the; Norman County SWCD, Gary State Bank, Halstad Telephone Co., Northwestern State Bank, Wild Rice Watershed, VFW Post 7557 - Ada, American Federal Bank, Frandsen Bank & Trust, Bennett Houglum Agency, Kelly’s Chrysler, Arvig, American Legion Post #431-Twin Valley, 1st Financial Bank, Centrol Inc, Twin Valley Agency,
