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Photos courtesy of April Wahlstrom
Cook County I.S.D. 166 might have fewer students than most high schools, but that hasn’t stopped CCHS from becoming a powerhouse in the Envirothon competitions.
Vikings’ Head Coach April Wahlstrom announced that Cook County Envirothon teams took first and fourth in the Section tournament. Both earned trips to attend the 2023 Minnesota State Envirothon competition that will be held May 15 at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
So how big of an honor is it to qualify for state? Minnesota’s state meet is North America’s largest high school environmental education competition.
Representing Cook County are Grace Blomberg, Iylla Christiansen, Emma Crook, Kalina Dimitrova, Wren Ferry, Ruby Gulstrand, Zoe Kacures, Knut Remmen, Finnley Taylor, Genevieve Silence, Frances Surbaugh, and MJ Wharton.
High school competitions are “designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance interest in the environment and natural resources.”
L-R: MJ Wharton, Genevieve Silence, Wren Ferry, Zoe Kacures and Emma Crook.
The current topic for 2023 is “Adapting to Climate Change in Minnesota.”
Typically three teams from a section or region qualify for state, but if an area competition has 25 or more teams, the top four placing teams earn a trip to Fergus Falls for the big meet.
Participants can’t have notebooks, books, cell phones, iPads/iPods, or any electronic device during the competition.
Each team has up to five members with two alternates. Exams are worth up to 25 points, with the exception of the oral presentation, which can be 30 points. In case of a tie for the first through third teams, winners will be determined by category scores in the following order: Oral presentation, Current issues, Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, and Wildlife.
The team with the best oral presentation may be asked to present in front of all teams at the end of the competition.
The overall winner can compete at the North American Envirothon competition.
In 2018 Cook County High School was fourth at state out of 27 teams. Last year the Vikings placed fifth at state.
What is Envirothon?
Minnesota’s soil and water districts coordinate the Envirothon meets, which were started in 1979 by the Pennsylvania Association Conservation District and brought to Minnesota in 1993. Today, more than 1,200 students take part in nine regions.
The Envirothon is an outdoor, hands-on learning competition for high and middle school students.
It centers on five learning stations, including soils, wildlife, water resources, forestry, and current environmental issues. Each station consists of a short presentation about the topic by a resource professional, followed by a test taken by the students.
Test questions range from analyzing soil textures, identifying trees, preparing an oral presentation, and answering questions posed by a panel of judges.
Teams consisting of five students travel to learning stations and spend 30 minutes at each station, answering a quiz given at the end of each station. Each stop has a different topic: soils, wildlife, forestry, or aquatics.
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