NEW YORK NAMED 2021 NCF-ENVIROTHON CHAMPIONS

WASHINGTON – On July 28, the New York team from Esopus, New York was named the champion of the 2021 National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon, an international environmental and natural resources education competition for high schoolers.

“I’d like to congratulate New York and all of the teams for their hard work and dedication,” NCF Chair Brent Van Dyke said. “Their knowledge about environmental and natural resource issues, as well as their commitment to these areas, have shown me that the future of conservation is in good hands.”

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and health concerns, the 2021 NCF-Envirothon annual competition was held virtually, a first for the Envirothon program, and 41 teams across the U.S., Canada and China participated. Hosted by the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), from July 25-28, 2021, students demonstrated their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry and wildlife management. The teams also prepared oral presentations on this year’s current issue, “Water Resources Management: Local Control, Local Solutions".

“We enjoyed showcasing our state’s one-of-kind natural resources management system that relies on locally elected boards making decisions on their unique issues,” said Jim Eschliman, NARD president. “I continue to be impressed with students and their ability to problem-solve some of our biggest environmental challenges.”

The winning NCF-Envirothon teams are awarded scholarships and prizes, with the top three scoring teams receiving $30,000 in scholarships thanks to the support of Smithfield Foods, Inc. The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Foundation awarded a total of $13,000 for fourth through seventh places and a donation from the Conservation Districts of Iowa provided awards for eighth through tenth place.

The top 10 teams from the competition are:

Place	Team	City, State/Province/Nation
1	New York	Esopus, New York
2	North Carolina	Denton, North Carolina
3	South Carolina	Spartanburg, South Carolina
4	Massachusetts	Groton, Massachusetts
5	Florida	Miami, Florida
6	New Mexico	Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
7	Pennsylvania	Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania
8	Ontario	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
9	Maryland	Rockville, Maryland
10	Manitoba	Swan River, Manitoba, Canada

A complete list of awards can be found here .

“This year marked the 32nd annual Envirothon competition and was the most innovative to date,” NCF-Envirothon Program Manager Jennifer Brooks said. “The Envirothon program continues to challenge, inspire and empower high school students to pursue environmental, conservation and natural resource-related fields.”

The 2022 NCF-Envirothon annual international competition, hosted by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, will be held in Oxford, Ohio, from July 24-30 at Miami University, where students will be tested on the 2022 topic, “Waste to Resources.”