WARRENSBURG --
Dozens of high school students from around Warren County brought their science knowledge to Warren County Fish Hatchery on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, as Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District held its annual “Envirothon” science competition.
Seventy students from six school districts – Warrensburg, North Warren, Johnsburg, Lake George, Prospect School and Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES – competed to see who has learned the most about environment-related topics in the hands-on, single-day event. The studying occurs outside, in the woods, at the Fish Hatchery visitor center, and along hatchery trout ponds.
The teams compete against one another on five core Environmental Science topics – wildlife, forestry, aquatic ecology, soil and a “current issue” that changes annually, with this year’s issue chosen to be “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.”
Teams prepare for the competition by reviewing core study topics ahead of the event, and having review sessions with Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff. The SWCD staff partners with state and local professionals to write and administer exams taken by students during Envirothon.
A team from Warrensburg Central School was crowned as champion of this year’s event, and will be representing Warren County at the NY State Competition May 22nd and 23rd , 2024 at SUNY Cortland. A team from Lake George Central School finished in second place and North Warren Central School third.
Staff from Warren County Workforce Development were on hand to share more information with students about internship and employment opportunities, and Warren County Department of Workforce Development donated prizes for students that included Lake George Steamboat Co. cruise tickets, sunglasses from Fountain Square Outfitters and plants from Glens Falls Vertical Garden.
Participants also enjoyed a barbecue lunch, expertly grilled by SWCD staff, and heard a presentation from Abraham Gadway, a licensed guide who is founder of Adirondack Mountain Outfitters of Warrensburg.
Said Jim Lieberum, Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District Manager: “We would like to thank the schools, teachers, Warren County Fish Hatchery staff and the volunteers who helped us make this such a fun day of education and camaraderie among schools. Seeing our students working together to focus on science is very uplifting. We can’t wait to do it again next year.”
Envirothon is held the first Wednesday of each May unless there is a conflict with state school testing, and all Warren County schools are invited and encouraged to participate next year.
The Warren County SWCD staff would like to offer a special thank you to all of the local businesses and groups that donated to the program to make the day as fun-filled and educational as possible for the area students. They included Route 149 Self Storage, Warren County Department of Workforce Development, East Shore Schroon Lake Association, Etched in Valor, Finch Paper, Glens Falls National Bank, Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District, Hometown Area Realty, Hughes Insurance, Impressive Imprints, Morrissey Construction, The Glens Falls Chronicle, Suozzo, Doty & Associates, Town Highway Superintendents of Warren County and Warren County Conservation Council
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