Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) high school students are preparing for the Envirothon, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

St. Charles High School seniors Maya Dixon and Alexander Johnson, left, flip through a field guide to learn more about how to identify wildlife. Credit: Charles County Public Schools
John Markovich, owner of JM Forestry, left, shows Khamori Bowman, a Henry E. Lackey High School freshman, and Lackey senior Brandon Williams, what an Italian chestnut looks like while still housed in its casing during a forestry lesson for the Charles County Envirothon program. Credit: Charles County Public Schools
Maurice J. McDonough High School junior Brooke Speidel takes a soil sample using an auger while McDonough junior Cecilya Coney captures it in a video. They, along with other Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) high school students, are studying for the 30th annual Charles County Envirothon program that will take place in the spring. Credit: Charles County Public Schools

The Envirothon is a problem-solving academic competition culminating in lessons learned during seasonal training at the Charles Soil Conservation District. The first training was held on October 19, when students received an overview of what they would be studying throughout the year. Students flipped through field guides to familiarize themselves with wildlife, used an auger to collect soil samples for comparison, carved out waterways on maps, and learned how to identify native plants and trees.

During the Envirothon, students answer questions in five categories — aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a current environmental issue. The last topic changes each year. This year the fifth topic is adapting to a changing climate. It prompts students to learn about factors contributing to a changing climate, the effects of the changes on the environment and natural resources, and the challenges facing natural resource-dependent communities. According to Envirothon resources, they will learn about strategies for mitigating and adapting to a changing climate and the roles of technologies and programs in responding to local and global change.

Students will receive two more training — one in February, another in March — before the April competition at Gilbert Run Park. The top team at the local competition will advance to the state competition. The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) will hold the NCF Envirothon competition in July at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada.

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