About Georgia Envirothon
The Georgia Envirothon, offered in cooperation with the Canon Envirothon, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1995 to provide hands-on, science-based training in natural resources and ecology to high school students in a challenging, fun, and competitive outdoor experience. It creates a completely unique educational opportunity for high school students and is the only environmental curriculum with a major emphasis on connecting students/teachers with environmental professionals. The competition is centered on ecosystem planning and management in four universal testing categories (i.e., soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, and wildlife) and a current environmental issue.
The Envirothon program is an effective educational tool, capable of supplementing environmental education both inside and outside the classroom. Led by a volunteer advisor, teams usually meet from late autumn until spring. Teams work collaboratively to develop their knowledge of ecology and natural resource management and to practice their environmental problem-solving skills in preparation for Envirothon competitions.
To learn more about the competition, visit The Competition section of this website.
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The mission of the Canon Envirothon is to develop knowledgeable skilled and dedicated citizens who have an understanding of natural resources and are willing and prepared to work towards achieving and maintaining a balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment.
The Envirothon mission is accomplished by developing in young people an understanding of the principles and practices of natural resource management and ecology and through practice dealing with complex resource management decisions. The following goals and objectives should be used as a guide to develop effective curricula, educational resources, and testing scenarios.
GOAL 1
To promote a desire to learn more about the natural environment and equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to apply the basic principles and practices of resource management and ecology to complex environmental issues.
- Students should be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of concepts in natural resource management and ecology, especially in the areas of soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues.
- Students should be able to analyze soil, aquatic, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues in problem-solving activities involving resource issues.
GOAL 2
To promote stewardship of natural resources and to encourage the development of the critical thinking, cooperative problem-solving, and decision-making skills required to achieve and maintain a natural balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment.*
- Students should be able to identify environmental issues in a given situation and the various interests involved, while taking into consideration ecological, social, and economic factors.
- Students should be able to investigate issues using both primary and secondary sources of information and synthesize the data gathered. Additionally, students should demonstrate the ability to:
Listen with comprehension;
Collect, organize, and analyze information;
Frame appropriate questions to guide their investigation;
Use a range of resources and technologies in addressing questions; and,
Critically examine information from a variety of sources.
- Students should be able to assess the nature of information and materials from a variety of different viewpoints and evaluate their implications.
- Students should be able to identify alternative solutions for various issues and their associated value perspectives. They should be able evaluate alternative solutions with respect to their ecological and cultural implications. Additionally, the alternative solutions generated should attempt to take into consideration the variety of interests involved, while maintaining a healthy environment.
- Students should be able to identify and evaluate their own position on environmental issues and their associated solutions. These positions should be based on balanced information, critical analysis, and careful synthesis. Moreover, students should be able to test their position against new information, personal experiences and beliefs.
- Students should be able to evaluate the interaction of the proposed solution with other ecological and social factors and anticipate having to plan ahead when evaluating the long and short-term implications of possible solutions to environmental problems.
GOAL 3
To provide students with experience in environmentally-oriented activities, enabling them to become environmentally-aware, action-oriented citizens.*
- Students should have knowledge of a wide range of action strategies involved in seeking solutions to environmental problems.
- Students should have a knowledge of agencies and organizations that can be used as resources to seek solutions to environmental problems.
- Students should be able to evaluate the impact of their own actions affecting a particular environmental problem and devise alternative actions to work towards improving environmental conditions.
- Students should be able to work independently and/or collaboratively to solve environmental problems.
History
The Georgia Envirothon held its first competition in April 1995 after 4 months of intensive planning by the fledgling Georgia Envirothon Council. The council itself held its first meeting in December 1994 after a phone barrage of state and federal agencies by Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School science teacher Terry Seehorn. There were nine teams in the first competition which was held on the picturesque Rabun Gap-Nacoochee campus. Stone Mountain High School was crowned champion of the inaugural competition and represented the state in Idaho at the National competition. The budget for the original competition was a little more than $4,000.
Since 1995, the competition has grown to include four regional competitions in addition to the state competition. Team participation has expanded to more than 50 teams and the annual budget has grown to $50,000. Historically, funding has come from grants, team registrations, and sponsorships.
The Georgia Envirothon, offered in cooperation with the Canon Envirothon, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1995 and governed by a 9-member Council which consists of representatives from state, federal, and regional agencies, educators, and environmental education organizations. For a list of current Council members, go to Envirothon Council Members. The program is volunteer run and has been consistently supported with personnel from the following agencies and organizations: Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resource Division, Georgia Forestry Commission, Northeast Georgia Regional Commission, USDA Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forest and Natural Resources.
Each year, the Georgia Envirothon touches and positively influences the lives of more than 300 young people across the state. The number will continue to grow as more teams become involved. Each year, schools that have never participated are joining the Georgia Envirothon.
Council Members
