Envirothon coming to the Southeast for the first time

For the first time the Manitoba Association of Watersheds is holding its eastern regional competition in the Southeast.

“The East Regional has generally been hosted between Pinawa, Pine Falls, or Rennie going back to at least 2012. It will be the first time it is hosted at Tourond Creek Discovery Centre and by the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District. We’re very excited!” stated coordinator Kathryn Gibb in an email.

“The competition has previously welcomed teams from Pinawa and Lac du Bonnet, but we are really hoping to engage with more students from Steinbach since we are hosting the eastern regional there this year,” she stated.

Envirothon is a provincial and national competition where teams of five high school students compete against one another on topics, such as aquatic ecology, wildlife ecology, plants and forests, soils and land use, and invasive species (rotating topic).

“It’s an incredible opportunity for students who are interested in the environment around them, to learn more about it, and to gain real world experience working with industry experts that can help them in their career path going forward,” said executive director Lynda Nicol.

Some of the real-world experiences students can learn include reading topographical maps and public speaking.

“It also teaches them about the various ecologies and it’s a deeper dive into that type of curriculum than what would normally be offered through the school system,” said Nicol.

Students will complete an outdoor field test and do an oral presentation. The top teams from the regional events will be invited to compete at the Manitoba Envirothon Provincial event in May at Camp Arnes. The top team from the Manitoba Envirothon will then represent the province at the international Envirothon hosted by the National Conservation Foundation in July.

“It’s one of the things that truly inspires me about working with high school students in this program is seeing how engaged they are, how much they want to learn, and how much they care about the environment, and the impact that we all have on it,” said Nicol.

More than 4,000 students have participated in the Envirothon since its inception 27 years ago.

Nicol said students can be more engaged with the environment by getting involved and being ambassadors at their schools and through their environmental clubs. She said the number one environmental issue facing students today is climate change.

“Climate change is a massive driver of environmental studies right now and needs to be a focus.”

The eastern regionals will be held on April 24 at Tourond Creek Discovery Centre near Kleefeld. The cost is $125 per team for the regional event and $1,500 per team (with lodging) and $1,100 per team (without lodging) for the provincial event.

The deadline to register is Feb. 3 with all students’ names confirmed by March 3. For more information visit manitobawatersheds.org/about.