Utah Envirothon

Utah Natural Resources Competition Event

Utah Natural Resources Competition Event is held annually in April. This event includes a “current issue presentation” and test stations in the areas that include: Forestry, Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife, Soils/Land Use, and a current issue.

This event is open to:

School and District Teams
4-H Clubs
FFA Chapters
Boy Scout Troops
Girl Scout Troops
And any other youth serving organization

The event serves as the Utah State Qualifier for four national natural resources competitions. The team with the highest overall point total qualifies to represent Utah at the National Envirothon. The FFA team with the highest overall point total will represent Utah at the National FFA Natural Resources Competition. The team with the highest overall point total for the Forestry Station will represent Utah at the National Forestry Invitational. (Note: The team must be registered as a 4-H Team.) The team with the highest point total for the Wildlife Station will represent Utah at the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program Contest. (Note: The team must be registered as a 4-H or FFA Team.)

Utah Envirothon Winners

2022

1st Place: South Summit High School
2nd Place: Logan High School
3rd Place: Salem Hills High School

2021

1st Place: Salem Hills High School
2nd Place: Davinci Academy
3rd Place: Environmental Science Club

2020

1st Place: Ridgline High School
2nd Place: Salem Hills High School
3rd Place: Davinci Academy

2019

1st Place: Logan High School

2018

1st Place: Snow Canyon High School

2017

1st Place: Sky View High School
2nd Place: Terra Academy

2016

1st Place: Wasatch High School
2nd Place: Salem Hills High School

2023 Event Information

Registration is now open for the 2023 Utah Envirothon.

UTAH ENVIROTHON

Where: Davis County
When:

Thursday, April 20, 3 pm – 9:00 pm

Friday, April 21, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Current Issue: Adapting to a Changing Climate

Click here to Register

4-H Advisors

All participants and team advisor must be enrolled as a club in your county through Zsuite.

FFA Advisors:

The Utah Envirothon serves as the Utah FFA Association State Environmental and Natural Resources CDE. The highest ranking FFA team will represent the Utah FFA Association in the National FFA Environmental and Natural Resources CDE at the National FFA Convention later that year. The team members competing at the National FFA Convention qualify for State Winner Travel Assistance funds, just as all other CDE winners.

Please be aware that the Envirothon allows 5 member teams and the National FFA CDE only allows a four member team. Our FFA state rules specify that “Only four members of the state winning team will be eligible to compete in the National CDE. The fifth member of the Envirothon team is not eligible to compete in future State Environmental and Natural Resources competitions.”

The Utah Envirothon is recognized as a FFA State Career Development Event but is not planned, supervised or administered by the Utah FFA Association.

About Us

Originating in 1979, the “Environmental Olympics” first event was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and included three conservation districts. By 1988, the idea caught on and the first national competition was held.

Today the program has grown to include approximately 55 states and Canadian provinces and is North American’s largest high school environmental competition.

Utah held its first annual Envirothon in 1998, thanks to the Utah Association of conservation Districts, which agreed to commit annual seed money and staff support. Each year the statewide competition is held in the spring.

Committee

Committee is being revised. Check back for updates.

Contact Us

Denise M. Stewardson
Director, Utah Agriculture in the Classroom
School of Applied Sciences, Technology & Education
denise.stewardson@usu.edu
435.797.1592
www.utah.agclassroom.org

Dave Francis
Extension Youth Development Director
Utah 4-H STEM
Dave.francis@usu.edu
435.760.4109
www.utah4-h.org

Carrie Milligan
Program Coordinator, Utah Agriculture in the Classroom
435.797.1833
carrie.milligan@usu.edu

Sponsors & Donors

Utah Conservation Districts
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
Utah DEQ, Division of Water Quality
Smithfield Foods
Utah Conservation Commission
STEM Action Center
Campbell Scientific
Utah Farm Bureau
*Utah State University College of Agriculture
*Southern Utah University, College of Science
*Brigham Young University, College of Science
*Snow College
USDA – Natural Resource Conservation Service
UACD Women’s Auxiliary
Casper’s Ice Cream
REAL Salt Lake

National Events & Programs

International Conservation Foundation Envirothon - www.envirothon.org

The NCF-Envirothon Competition is an annual event which winning teams from participating states and Canadian provinces compete for recognition and scholarships by demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management. The competition is centered on 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.

National 4-H Foresty Invitational - http://4hforestryinvitational.org/

The National 4-H Forestry Invitational is the national championship of 4-H forestry. The purpose of the invitational is to develop an appreciation for the importance of conserving forestland as a source of products, benefits, and services necessary for quality living. 4-H foresters learn citizenship and leadership skills as well as practical forest management skills through participation in three days of competition at the 4-H Forestry Invitational; consequently, young people will be better prepared to own forestland or deal with environmental issues in the future.

* Note this event is only open to 4-H Teams

Skills and knowledge events include:

Tree Measurement
Tree Identification
Forest Evaluation
Compass Orienteering
Topographic Map Use
Forest Insect and Disease Identification
Forestry Bowl
Forestry Written Exam

FFA Environmental and Natural Resources CDE - www.ffa.org

Individual and team activities in the Environmental and Natural Resources CDE include a national and global issues interview; environmental and natural resources problem solving; soil tests and profiles; air and water analysis; GPS use; waste management; and more.

*Note: This event is open to FFA members only

4 Participants per team

Information on Utah CDE - click here

Wildlife Habitat Education Program - https://www.whep.org/

WHEP is a hands-on environmental education program. WHEP also provides participants an opportunity to test their wildlife knowledge in a friendly competition, as each state supporting WHEP conducts an annual contest where teams of 3-4 similarly aged individuals gather. The winning high school senior (ages 14-19) WHEP team from each state earns the right to attend the annual National WHEP Contest, typically held the last full week of July. The national contest moves to a different state each year.

* Note this event is only open to 4-H or FFA members

Studying a science-based manual, participants:
Learn wildlife terms and concepts
Learn about wildlife habitat
Learn how to judge the quality of wildlife habitat
Learn about wildlife habitat management practices
Learn about wildlife damage management

Advisor Resources

Advisor Handbook - Newly Updated for 2020
Teacher/Coach Training Video

National Envirothon Current Issue Resources

Wildlife

Aquatic Ecology

Soils

Forestry

UTAH 4-H EVENTS

UTAH ENVIROTHON