BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO/PRAIRIE PUBLIC) The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality has allocated almost $3 million in federal EPA grant money to 11 pollution prevention projects.
One of them is a statewide competition for high school students, called “Envirothon.”
Andrea Petersen is the statewide coordinator for “Envirothon.” She said it’s a natural resource competition.
“Students work in teams to solve questions related to soils, aquatics, prairie, forestry, wildlife, and then every year, there’s a current issue that students will take on the challenge of trying to come up with an answer for and that’s related to something going on in the world at the moment,” Petersen said.
Petersen said “Envirothon” is a hands-on competition.
“It’s all outside, sampling water, texturing soils with their hands, identifying bird wings, listening to bird sounds,” Petersen said. “Last year, at the state competition, they actually had to use a large logger saw and saw a tree and then identify the rings. So, it’s very hands-on, very few questions are in a book.”
Petersen said regional competitions are held before the state finals. She said this year, 14 teams from 10 schools participated.