What Can You Learn At The Georgia Envirothon?

You can learn all kinds of things about our environment when you participate in the Georgia Envirothon! Each year there are five study areas; Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife, and a current environmental topic. A different current environmental topic is chosen each year that reflects a documented environmental issue throughout the U.S. and Canada. This year’s topic is Protecting Groundwater through Urban, Agricultural, and Environmental Planning.

According to 2005 United States Geological Survey (USGS) figures, groundwater provides an estimated:

✓ 22% of all freshwater withdrawals
✓ 37% of agricultural use (mostly for irrigation)
✓ 37% of the public water supply withdrawals
✓ 51% of all drinking water for the total population
✓ 99% of drinking water for the rural population

Groundwater is simply water — mainly from rain and snow, but also from some human activities — that has soaked into the soil. That’s the end of its journey from our perspective, but the water keeps going long after it’s gone underground. It percolates downward, with dirt and rock particles filtering out dangerous bacteria as it sinks. When it finally reaches an impermeable layer of bedrock deep below the surface, it stops and begins to saturate the surrounding soil. Over many millennia, this pool of purified groundwater can grow into vast subterranean aquifers.

Groundwater is abundant and outweighs all above ground liquid freshwater 100 to 1. Much of it is too deep or blocked by rocks for us to economically reach, but we can still get to the roughly 1 million cubic miles closest to the surface.

Groundwater’s quantity is far from the only concern, however; its quality is also under constant assault from a variety of sources. Natural poisoning of groundwater has long been known to occur around the world, as underground deposits of arsenic, heavy metals or even radon can seep into an aquifer and contaminate its contents. It’s also possible that toxin-producing bacteria can naturally infiltrate an aquifer, despite the cleansing effects of soil and rocks above.

But humans indirectly pose an even greater threat to many aquifers — and to the fellow humans who drink from them. Although more Americans get their drinking water from surface sources like lakes and rivers, there are more water systems nationwide that use groundwater as their source than surface water (about 147,000 to 14,500), and hundreds of thousands more people who use private wells. And just as these wells are scattered throughout the country, often in remote rural areas, so are the diverse sources of pollutants that contaminate them.

Access to clean and safe drinking water is essential to a healthy and thriving community. If a safe drinking water source is compromised or lost, there would be harmful consequences to human health, the environment, and the economy. Learn what you can do to prevent or mitigate these losses to protect current and future sources. Once groundwater is polluted, it will remain that way for decades. The potential for contamination and the high cost of treatment and expense of locating or developing alternate sources make it imperative that we adopt and implement effective strategies for long-term protection.

Envirothon Sprouts Interest in Environmental Learning

With competitions revolving around our natural resources: forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and soil sciences, it’s no wonder that many students interested in the Envirothon are striving towards a greener future. While studying for the Envirothon, many teams work closely with professionals in the natural resources field. Many state and federal agencies such as the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Natural Resource Conservation Service chip in to help coach teams, and teach students the field skills necessary to excel in the competition. Many students don’t get the opportunity to closely examine soil horizons or measure forest stands while they are stuck inside the classroom, but if students want to learn about the environment, they have to get outside. By working with natural resource agencies, students get exposure to careers they weren’t even aware of, and they often get to use the latest techniques while working in the outdoors. One Envirothon team from Greater Atlanta Christian School, in Gwinnett County, was so enamored by the enthusiasm of the soil scientist coaching them, that they named their Envirothon Team “Soil Man” in his honor. Soil scientists, wildlife biologists, foresters, hydrologists, and park interpreters have all lent a hand to educating Envirothon students, and many seemed to have sparked some new interests as a result.

In addition to exposing students to the exciting field of natural resources, the Envirothon Competition allows students to gain the skills necessary to make important decisions related to natural resource management. Each station test incorporates a hands-on section that really focuses on critical thinking skills. At the state level, students are often given a resource problem that requires team work and advanced problem solving in order to develop a solution. While many of us grew up learning about environmental problems in far away places, students today have a real opportunity to learn from and make changes in their local communities. Students need experiences like participating in the Envirothon to become familiar with natural processes and how their everyday actions and decisions affect them. Clean water, human-wildlife conflicts, habitat fragmentation, and suburban sprawl are all important issues that hit close to home, and these are topics that frequently appear in the Envirothon Competition.

The experience students gain from competing in the Envirothon translates well to collegiate academic programs as well. Emily Saunders, Student & Career Services Coordinator for the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources agrees; “Students who compete in the Envirothon do really well in our programs, and that’s why we support the Georgia Envirothon. We want to help high school students become future scientists and natural resource managers.” The Warnell School has degree programs in Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, Water and Soil Resources, and Natural Resources, Recreation and Tourism—all topics that are covered by the Envirothon. Several past Envirothon competitors have attended the Warnell School, including one state champion member Josh Seehorn, who is a current graduate student in the fisheries program.

Students who want to pursue other interests, can also fall back on their Envirothon experience. Erin Oxford Clark, who is featured on the Envirothon Success Stories page, earned her degree in Speech Communication at the University of Georgia. She is now putting her talents to work improving air quality and reducing traffic congestion through her efforts with the Clean Air Campaign. Read more about Erin by visiting the testimonial page.

What Do Students and Advisors Say About the Georgia Envirothon?

“Georgia Envirothon is the ideal way to blend classroom learning with practical application of that knowledge. My students have discovered many new skills, and learned about the vast number of possible career opportunities. Many of them are still in touch with other Envirothonians they met at region, state, and national competition.” Debbie Arnold, advisor

“Envirothon gives you the opportunity to learn many things about nature while having a blast.” Laura Beth Bennett, 3-year veteran

“Envirothon is a fun and educational way to learn useful information and to meet new people.” Caitlyn Arnold, 2- year veteran

“Georgia Envirothon is a great way to experience nature learning in hands-on manner.” Raymond Ko, 3-year veteran

Envirothon is an exhilerating opportunity that is both fun and educational. Through diligent hard work, you can gain a great wealth of knowledge about the environment." Gavin Lewis, 3-year veteran

Erin Oxford Clark Uses Her Envirothon Experience With The Clean Air Campaign

Erin was a member of the Morgan County High School team that won the 1996 Georgia Envirothon and represented Georgia at the Canon Envirothon in Nebraska. Erin says, “The Envirothon offered me a greater understanding of our environment from so many different perspectives. I am now employed by The Clean Air Campaign and still find myself utilizing facts that I learned in my Envirothon days.” The Clean Air Campaign’s mission is to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion.