Dear Vermont High School Educators,

We are excited to invite you and your students to the 2025 Vermont Envirothon Competition! Since its inception in 1996, over 2,000 Vermont students have participated, gaining hands-on STEM experience, enhancing their environmental literacy, and connecting with professionals in soil and water conservation, wildlife, forestry, and agriculture.

This year’s state competition will be held on May 16, 2025 (location TBD). The winning team will be invited to represent Vermont at the North American Envirothon in Alberta, Canada, from July 20–26, 2025. We encourage you to register a team to help your students build valuable skills and foster a lifelong connection to our natural world. Any volunteer adult, teacher, or coach can register a team. The cost to participate for one team is $75. A second team can be registered for $50.

What is the Envirothon?

The Vermont Envirothon provides a platform for students to study environmental science topics and develop skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and public speaking. Teams of five students (grades 9–12), supported by one or more coaches, can compete. Schools may register up to two teams. Conservation Districts in Vermont are conducting fundraising activities to support teams’ transportation costs and other minor expenses and registration fees. 

Topics Covered in the Envirothon:

Students will explore five core environmental science topics:

• Aquatic Ecology:
  Students study marine and freshwater ecosystems, learning to assess ecosystem health by identifying aquatic organisms, managing watersheds, and mitigating non-point source pollution impacts.
• Forestry:
  Students work with professional foresters to understand forest ecosystems, learning species identification, forest dynamics, and sustainable management techniques.
• Soils/Land Use:
  Through interactions with soil scientists, students examine soil characteristics, structure, and conservation methods, gaining insights into how soils impact urban, rural, and agricultural systems.
• Wildlife:
  Students learn about wildlife ecology, species identification, adaptations, and human-wildlife interactions, emphasizing habitat conservation and ecological balance.
• Current Environmental Issues:
  Teams delve into pressing environmental challenges, analyzing real-world problems and exploring decision-making complexities.

Oral Presentations:

Using knowledge from these topics, teams collaborate to address a real-world scenario, create a plan of action, and present their solutions to a panel of judges for scoring.  This year’s focus is Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.

Training Opportunities:

Thursday, January 30th - 3:15-4:15pm

Discover Envirothon: Engaging NH & VT High School Students in Environmental Science by Margie Clark-Kevan, NH Envirothon Program Coordinator, and Lucas Goldfluss, VT Envirothon Coordinator

This workshop offers new and prospective Envirothon coaches an overview of the NH & VT Envirothon programs, with opportunities to brainstorm strategies, ask questions, and explore ways to overcome challenges when starting a team. Email lucas@winooskinrcd.org to sign up!
 

Virtual Training Sessions (Fridays, 3:15–4:30 PM on Zoom)

• February 7: Wildlife
• February 14: Soils
• February 21: Forestry
• February 28: Aquatics
• March: Current Issue Speaker Series (Dates TBD)

In-Person Training Events:

• April 18: Training Day (location TBD)
• May 16: Envirothon Competition (location TBD)

Resources and Support:

• Training Kits: Borrow free kits, such as the Forestry Kit, Soils Analysis Kit, and Water Quality Monitoring Kit (details here)
• In-Person Support: Request personalized training by emailing lucas@winooskinrcd.org
• Coaches receive digital and print resources, and all participants receive a complimentary t-shirt

Why Participate?

The Envirothon is more than a competition. It’s a chance to inspire students to become environmental leaders while honing valuable skills like public speaking and critical thinking. Some educators even integrate Envirothon topics into their curriculum to deepen classroom learning. 

To register or ask questions, contact:
Lucas Goldfluss, Envirothon Coordinator lucas@winooskinrcd.org | (802) 497-5513

We look forward to your participation in this enriching and exciting event!

Sincerely,

The Vermont Envirothon Steering Committee

For more information, visit www.envirothon.org or www.vacd.org/programs/envirothon/