Iowa Envirothon

The Iowa Envirothon is a state-wide program developed in conjunction with the National Canon Envirothon policies, with the top team in the state representing Iowa at the Nationals. Past participants have equated the Envirothon to the competitions Odyssey of the Mind, and Mock Trial. The Envirothon is a team competition for high school students. In the field and classroom, teams of five students are challenged to use their knowledge and critical thinking skills to conduct hands-on investigations, solve real-life scenarios and answer written questions covering five categories: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Wildlife, Soils, and Current Environmental Issues.

The Envirothon provides an incentive for students to integrate and apply knowledge and skills learned in biology, chemistry, earth science, botany, zoology and other science disciplines while stimulating, reinforcing and enhancing students' interest in the environment, related careers, and Iowa's natural resources. Of course, there is also the incentive of travel, scholarships, prizes and prestige! The goals of the Iowa Envirothon are to: * Increase students' knowledge and awareness of the interrelationship of our natural resources. * Promote environmental awareness and stewardship. * Develop students' critical thinking, cooperative problem solving, and decision-making skills. * Present balanced options for management of our renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. * Provide awareness of and accessibility to resource organizations offering assistance in environmental issues. The Canon Envirothon is North America's largest high school environmental competition. It was started by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts in 1979. The first National Envirothon competition was held in 1988 with Iowa joining in the 1995-1996 school year. Currently, teams representing over 45 states and Canadian provinces compete at the national level for $75,000 in scholarships and prizes.