FOXHOLM – It was quite a day of learning, and sharing what was learned, for northwest area high schoolers. Sixteen teams of four to six students, freshmen through senior class, participated in the Mouse River Loop Envirothon Wednesday at the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge.
The MRLE got its beginning in 2001, a program designed to give high school students some ‘hands on’ experience centered on environmental endeavors – forestry, soils, water, aquatic life among them. The theme for this year’s Envirothon was “Adapting to a Changing Climate.”
The day began with teams in the field for the trail test portion of the competition. Later the teams would make oral presentations in front of a panel of judges. Scores were determined by a combination of the two two efforts.
“We’ve had seven or eight teams from this Envirothon that have advanced to state and got first place,” said Lena Bohm, MRLE co-chair, Mohall. “It’s amazing to see what these kids learn and do. They actually get to apply science and find out why biology and chemistry is important.”
A team representing Minot High School, buoyed by the top trail score of the day, finished first in the competition. Bowbells and Nedrose teams were second and third. All three teams advance to the state Envirothon.
Speakers for the event included three members on the staff at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown – Kristen Ellis, Owen McKenna, and Kyle Mclean. All spoke on different aspects of how climate change affects migratory and local birds.
For some of the students it was a first-time exposure to Envirothon. Others were making return trips.
“Every once in a while we get a team that starts as freshmen and keep returning,” said Bohm. “We had a team from Kenmare stay together for four years. They got to state and won it. That team was amazing. A great group of kids.”
The state Envirothon will be held next May in Crystal Springs with a trip to the national Envirothon at stake.
