Students from Nine PBC High Schools Compete in Local Environmental Competition
WHO: Students from nine Palm Beach County high schools and numerous local environmental professionals will come together for the 2012 Palm Beach County Envirothon, sponsored by Whole Foods Market, Boca Raton and Wellington stores. The event is part of North America’s largest national environmental competition sponsored by the Canon Corporation. The regional Envirothon is coordinated by Palm Beach Soil and Water Conservation District and is one of the largest in the state. Annually over 100 top students participate in the one-day event vying for the opportunity to represent Palm Beach County at the Florida State Envirothon.
WHAT: Envirothon is a field-oriented learning experience where students study Forestry, Aquatics, Wildlife, and Soils. Each year, a Current Issue is added to the mix, which for 2012 is Non-Point Source Pollution / Low Impact Development: Going Green with LID Technology. A new Lake Worth Lagoon topic has been added this year and is exclusive to Palm Beach County’s event.
Study and resource materials are assembled by a committee of local environmental scientists from agencies including PBC Environmental Resources Management, Palm Beach Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA/Natural Resource Conservation Services, US Fish and Wildlife Services, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, South Florida Water Management District and Lake Worth Lagoon Outreach Working Group. Study materials and test questions are designed to enhance critical thinking and problem solving skills. During the competition, teams of five students rotate between stations where they complete written and oral test questions and solve hands-on investigations about environmental issues.
In 2011, Team Shrub Patrol from Jupiter High School took first place at the Florida Envirothon and went on to place ninth out of 54 teams at the National Canon Envirothon.
WHEN: Friday, February 24, 2012 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
(Best time for media coverage is from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. VIP tour is at 11 a.m. and Awards Ceremony is at 1:30 p.m.)
WHERE: Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach
10216 Lee Road
Boynton Beach, FL 33473-4797
(561) 734-8303