The New Jersey Envirothon is a natural resources problem solving competition for New Jersey High School Students, offering a dynamic, hands-on opportunity to match skills against students from all over the state.

2010 Envirothon at the Sacajawea Scout Camp in Gloucester County

Saturday, May 8, 2010 is the date for the NJ Envirothon and will be held at Camp Sacajawea in Newfield, Gloucester County.

The camp is located on 186 acres of oak forest intersprsed with pines and mountain laurel, just beyond the borders of the New Jersey Pine Barrens and Atlantic County. Sacajawea's forest and lake environment, combined with the camp's facilities will provide the necessary components for a successful Envirothon event. Gloucester County Soil Conservation District is the host for the 2010 Envirothon.

All New Jersey High Schools are encouraged to participate in the Envirothon. The winning team will go on to represent NJ at the National Envirothon in California in the summer of 2010.

To register for the 2010 Envirothon or for additional information please visit www.njenvirothon.org.

GRANTS AVAILABLE

Freehold SCD is offering six $100 grants for schools who participate in the 2010 Envirothon for the first time. The $100 reimburse the cost of registration and will be awarded upon the completion of the Envirothon on May 8, 2010. Click on grant application for all the details.

2009 Envirothon at Montclair University School of Conservation

On Saturday, May 9, 2009 hundreds of students and advisors will be at Montclair University School of Conservation in Branchville, Sussex County for the NJ Envirothon. A natural resources problem solving competition for New Jersey High School Students, the Envirothon offers a dynamic, hands-on opportunity to match skills against students from all over the state.

During the school year students explore several natural resouce topics including soil, forestry, aquatics, wildlife ecology and current environmental issues. As they strengthen their knowledge in natural resources students will also practice working with others, digesting information and differing viewpoints and how to reach decisions through consensus and teamwork.

Free tent camping is offered on the evening of May 8th. A few cabins are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for a $7 per person fee.

For additional information please visit www.njenvirothon.org.

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2008 Envirothon Winners

First Place: Bridgewater Raritan High School Team #1 - Somerset County

Second Place: Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science Team #1 - Ocean County

Third Place: High Tech High School Team #1 - Hudson County

The Bridgewater Raritan Team represented New Jersey at the Canon National Envirothon this summer in Flagstaff Arizona.

Awards for the first place team included $1,000 scholarships, as well as scholarships to Montclair State University and Richard Stockton State College, if the students attend those colleges. 

Schools from Middlesex and Monmouth Counties that participated in the NJ Envirothon include:

Marine Academy of Science & Technology
Metuchen High School - Horizon Award Winner (1st year participating teams)
Middletown High School South
Biotechnology High School 

Metuchen High School, Middletown High School South and Biotechnology High School were awarded $100 grants from Freehold SCD for new teams that participated in the '08 Envirothon.

Please click on http://njenvirothon.org for more details on the 2008 NJ Envirothon.

Canon National Envirothon:  Go to www.envirothon.org for more information about the competition and photos of the event.

What Is The Envirothon?

New Jersey Envirothon, a natural resources problem-solving competition for high school students, is held in May and draws hundreds of students from through-out the state.

The Envirothon is a dynamic hands-on Environmental Education Program that seeks to empower its participants through training, direct experience, teamwork and competition. Preparation for the Envirothon is designed to introduce students to:

• A wide range of professionals working in environmentally-related fields
• A background in natural resources
• The varied options that go into decision making and practice in reaching a decision through consensus and teamwork

Throughout the year, in preparation for the Envirothon, students explore five natural resource topics: soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife ecology and a current environmental issue.

An Envirothon Study Guide is given to each team and the activities can help teachers meet Core Curriculum Content Standards in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.

Why Participate?

The team that best demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of natural resources, as well as teamwork and communication skills, moves on to represent New Jersey at the national Canon Envirothon. There are prizes such as college scholarships, t-shirts and recognition. The Envirothon is open to all high school aged students and free camping is available for the Friday evening of the event.

The New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts and New Jersey Department of Agriculture's State Soil Conservation Committee are the primary sponsors of the Envirothon. Other sponsors are the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the 15 state Soil Conservation Districts.

For additional information about the NJ Envirothon and how your school can participate, please contact Rich Belcher, NJ Envirothon Coordinator, at (609) 633 -2549 or email Rich Belcher for additional details.

For more information on the NJ Envirothon visit http://njenvirothon.org or contact Richard Belcher at 609-633-2549.

For additional information and photos please visit http://www.nj.nrcs.usda.gov/partnerships/envirothon/.

For information on activities involving the NJ Association of Conservation Districts, a lead sponsor of the Envirothon competition, click on environmental education in the upper left column.