Nov/Dec 2013Earth and Water, Wind and Sun
Training Future Environmental Leadersby David Lucas

Students from across South Carolina compete in the annual Envirothon competition, coordinated by the DNR, in cooperation with a host of other state, local and nonprofit environmental organizations.

"The Envirothon provides high school students with an outdoor learning experience, enabling them to become environmentally-aware, action-oriented citizens. Through study and research, students develop an understanding of natural resources in order to consider the balance between quality of life and quality of the environment," says Conservation Districts Program Manager Marc Cribb.

Held outdoors, the Envirothon is a dynamic environmental competition that cultivates a passion for environmental science and conservation policy in its high-school-aged participants. Student teams compete for college scholarships and the chance to represent their school in a national event by competing in a series of contests that stress aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and public speaking. Since starting in 1997, South Carolina's Envirothon program has provided more than $85,000 in scholarship funds to local high school students. Learn more at www.dnr.sc.gov/education/Envirothon.