April was a busy month for the six high school and 13 middle school teams that competed locally in Lehigh County Conservation District’s Envirothon, a fun, academic competition that tests students’ practical knowledge and application of environmental topics. For most students, the competition wraps up a year of environmental studies.

After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event returned this year in a different format. What normally would have been hands-on type of learning, combining in-class curriculum with outdoor training on aquatics, forestry, soils and wildlife, 2021’s current issue, water resources management, was more of an academic exercise as student teams became study groups and worked via Zoom.

The six high school teams competed online during the last week of April through live Zoom sessions with Lehigh County Conservation District. The middle school competition was focused strictly on academic knowledge. Students watched short videos on the five subject areas and completed quizzes based on those videos.

Normally, a team consists of five students, which is required in order to advance to the state-level competition. However, this year, many teams fell short of that number, presumably because of the change in format. It’s impressive that even teams that knew they couldn’t advance chose to compete anyway.

Each school in Lehigh County could have up to three teams participate. This year, Whitehall High School had one team, Parkland High School had two and Emmaus High School had two. In addition, the online study group of home-schoolers had one team. Thirteen middle school teams participated as well, from Whitehall-Coplay, Springhouse, Orefield, St. John Vianney and Reach Cyber Charter School.

During the competition, the students received five tests. Usually, one student specializes in a topic, but they all work together to answer questions on all of the tests. The winning team is the one with the highest combined score for all five tests and advances to the state level, where scholarships and advancement to the national level await.

“We were excited to again host the Lehigh County Envirothon,” said Laura Hopek, the environmental education and outreach coordinator for Lehigh County Conservation District. “The students worked hard and were engaged throughout the year as they prepared for the competition. Both middle and high school students demonstrated their proficiency at a variety of environmental topics and should be applauded for participating.”

The winners were announced May 3 in a virtual awards ceremony that was highlighted by a presentation from Tyler Sacks of Lehigh County Conservation District, during which he interviewed students and advisers involved in the Envirothon, including some who have gone on to make careers from their learning.

The winners included Team Firefly Synchrony, ecology collaborative online study group, including Hannah Ketner and Ian Henninger, first place; Team Treehuggers, from Parkland High School, with Evan Bowers, Rahul Inaganti and Myah Brody, second place; and Team Birch, Please from Emmaus High School, consisting of Mackenzie Bruns, Catherine Samer, Gabby Martin, Nic Gilboy and Samantha Loeper, third place.

But since the first- and second-place teams did not have a total of five students on the team, they could not advance to the Pennsylvania State Envirothon competition. The third-place winner will be advancing. The statewide virtual Envirothon occurred May 10-11.

In addition, the top three teams got tickets for Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom (two tickets for each student) and a wood-engraved plaque with a photo.

In a random draw, five high school and five middle school students received a Wildlands Conservancy trip that includes environmental education, canoeing, bicycling and all amenities.

Two advisers received rain barrels as door prizes, and five teachers received gift cards for Giant or Wegmans.

Supporters of the Envirothon include Campbell, Rappold & Yurasits LLP, Dorney Park, Base Engineering Inc., Barry Isett & Associates Inc., Deer Park Natural Spring Water, Giant in Trexlertown, Just Born, Hanover Engineering, Keystone Consulting Engineers, Lehigh County, Lehigh County Authority, Lehigh Valley Greenways, THE LINK, Martin, Bradbury & Griffith Inc., The Newton Engineering Group PC, Pennsylvania Envirothon, PPL Electric Utilities, Ott Consulting Inc., The Pidcock Company, Wegmans in Allentown, Wildlands Conservancy and William Erdman.

“The students who participated this year made a commitment to gain a better understanding of our natural environment and should be recognized for their achievements,” said Eric Andreus, a natural resource manager for Deer Park Natural Spring Water. “The Envirothon competition helps shape future natural resource stewards, and we are proud to sponsor the Lehigh County Envirothon and the educational opportunities it brings for students in our region.”