by Brooke Myres, South Carolina Envirothon Coordinator

The 2021 SC Envirothon Competition was held virtually during the first week of May 2021 with a current topic of Water Resource Management: Local Control, Local Solutions. SC Envirothon is an annual environmental competition for high school students. The 2021 winning teams were: 1st place – Spartanburg High School A Team; 2nd place – Spartanburg High School B Team; and 3rd place – Nation Ford High School FFA Team. The number of participating teams this year was lower than average because several seasoned coaches were unable to form teams due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. These coaches hope to participate once again in 2022. Two new teams joined, and both are excited to compete again in 2022!

SC Envirothon State Champions – Spartanburg High School A Team – virtually participated in the international National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon Competition during the last week of July 2021. They won 3rd place out of 41 competing teams from United States, Canada and China! Being in the top 3, the team presented their solution for the conflict scenario to viewers world-wide! The team also received the top score for the Soils Station! SC Envirothon hosted the team in Columbia, SC for the virtual competition. During which, the team met with several natural resources and agricultural professionals and toured the SC State House and SCDNR Parker Annex Archaeology Center. The students greatly enjoyed their time in Columbia!

The 2022 Envirothon season is just around the corner. SC Envirothon plans to have an in-person coaches training and competition in 2022. Both events will be held in Columbia, SC. Dates will be announced soon and posted on the SC Envirothon website: www.dnr.sc.gov/education/Envirothon. NCF-Envirothon is also planning an in-person competition to be held at Miami University in Oxford, OH. The 2022 current topic is Waste to Resources.

New to SC Envirothon are the SC Envirothon Training Trunks that will be available for coaches to borrow during the 2022 SC Envirothon season! The training trunk program was initiated to support current coaches in conjunction with giving new coaches adequate resources to be confident in starting a team. Launching of the trunks has coincided with concerted outreach efforts to rural high schools throughout the state, with more than 100 rural high school personnel receiving information about SC Envirothon.

Training trunks are comprised of a diverse set of professional tools corresponding with the SC Envirothon stations: wildlife, aquatics, forestry, and soils. Contents include topographic map activities; wildlife and plant guides; soil samples and testing materials; aquatics sampling and testing materials; binoculars; clinometers; DBH tapes; angle gauges; etc. Coaches are often only briefly introduced to these tools at the coaches training and some students may see them for the first time at the competition. Trunks will allow coaches and students to have hands-on experience with professional tools prior to competition day. Trunks will be housed in Soil and Water Conservation District offices, prioritizing locations with SC Envirothon teams.

SC Envirothon is only possible through the generous support of our faithful sponsors. Envirothon Sponsors include Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, SC Association of Conservation Districts, SC Conservation Districts Foundation, SC Department of Natural Resources, Richland Soil and Water Conservation District, SC SFI Implementation Committee, SC Forestry Foundation, SC Soil and Water Conservation Society, National Conservation Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, Clemson Sandhill Research and Education Center, and many other very appreciated sponsors. To learn more about SC Envirothon, program sponsors, or how to donate – please visit the SC Envirothon website: dnr.sc.gov/education/Envirothon