29 students from Schuylkill County came together May 4 at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds, and the Environmental Education Center in Summit Station to demonstrate their environmental knowledge in the 43rd Annual Schuylkill County Envirothon.
The Schuylkill Conservation District coordinates and tests teams’ knowledge of the environment. The Envirothon was designed to increase the awareness of interrelationships within the world, said Porcupine Pat McKinney who is the environmental education coordinator for this conservation district.
We also thank our generous sponsor the Schuylkill County Municipal Authority for their continued support of the Schuylkill County Envirothon,” McKinney said. “Water quality and water conservation are issues that are of prime importance for both the authority and the conservation district.
The competition raises awareness about the impact of human actions on these relationships.
“The event is made possible through the cooperative efforts of many Schuylkill County conservation agencies, McKinney added.
Local representatives of the state Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission, Bureau of Forestry and Natural Resources Conservation Service, Chesapeake Bay Program and Department of Environmental Protection provided technical assistance.
The Envirothon is centered around five environmental subject areas: wildlife, forestry and soils.
The 2022 issue was all about Waste to Resources. There are three levels of competition: Snoops are elementary school teams; Investigators are middle-school students; Scientists are high school students. The winner of the Scientists category represents the county at the state competition, which takes place in May. The state winner will then travel to the national competition in the summer.
Participated schools and parochial schools were Blue Mountain, St. Clair.
Commissioner Gary Hess read a proclamation from Schuylkill County Commissioners to recognize National Drinking Water Week, which was held from May 1-7. The theme of the week was: There When you Need It.
The following are the winners
Scientists (grades 9-12).
First place: Pine Grove Hunting Farmers
Blue Mountain Team 1 took second place
Third place: Williams Valley Biohazardous Boons
Fourth place: North Schuylkill Beasts of Myth
Fifth place: Pine Grove Baddie Bears
First in Aquatics – Pine Grove Hunting Farmers
First in Wildlife: Pine Grove Hunting Farmers
First in Soils: Dave Huntzinger award; Blue Mountain Team 1
Investigators (grades 6-8)
First place: St. Clair Boogie Bears
Pine Grove Benevolent Brook Trout took second place
Third place: Pine Grove Persistent Pech
Fourth place: Assumption BVM Treehuggers
Fifth place: Blue Mountain Energetic Eagles
First in Aquatics – Pine Grove Persistent perch
Snoops (grades 4-5)
Pine Grove Team 2 won the first place
Blue Mountain East Eastern Eagles took second place
Blue Mountain Cressona Critters takes third place
Fourth place: Saint Clair Tye Dye Turkeys
Pine Grove Team 1 took fifth place
Blue Mountain Cressona Critters is First in Aquatics
