West Virginia Envirothon Committee member and Elk Conservation District Supervisor Shirley Hyre, left, presents the first place check to Ravenswood FFA on April 22, at Cacapon Resort State Park. Team members are, from left, Garrett Delong, Carlee Fort, Gage Delong, Isaac Lane and Grace Fellure.
West Virginia Envirothon Committee member and Elk Conservation District Supervisor Shirley Hyre, left, presents the first place check to Ravenswood FFA on April 22, at Cacapon Resort State Park. Team members are, from left, Garrett Delong, Carlee Fort, Gage Delong, Isaac Lane and Grace Fellure.
BERKLEY SPRINGS, W.Va. (WV News) — Ravenswood FFA placed first out of 14 teams in the 2022 West Virginia Envirothon competition on April 22, at Cacapon Resort State Park in Morgan County.
The team of Gage Delong, Garrett Delong, Grace Fellure, Carlee Fort and Isaac Lane will go on to compete at the NCF-Envirothon national competition in Oxford, Ohio, in late July. The team’s advisors are Jonathan Rhodes, Jason Miihlbach and Jessica Conger.
The five-member teams that participated in the Envirothon explored current environmental and earth sciences within the framework of five disciplines: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and the current topic known as the ‘fifth topic.’ This year’s scenario asked students to take on the role of an environmental planning commission tasked with reducing waste in a fictional West Virginia city and county.
Students were tested on their skills, problem-solving abilities and knowledge about natural resources, conservation and the environment.
Ravenswood captured station awards in both Aquatics and Forestry.
The team selected Fort to compete in aquatics. Her portion of the competition consisted of a stream with markers where she had to assess the soil for things such as sediments and erosion to see if it would be a suitable environment for wildlife.
“Just being there and getting to be a part of a team, working together to get first place, was my favorite part,” Fort said.
Not only did the team take away first place overall, but they will also share a $5,000 college scholarship.
“My favorite part is watching them work together as a team,” Miihlbach said. “These kids learn to appreciate our natural resources that we have and why they are valuable to us.”
Miihlbach said he was very proud of his team, especially with this competition being the first year of competition for each member.
“Seeing five kids who want to work together to succeed, makes success,” he said.
Sponsors for the West Virginia Envirothon include the Weyerhaeuser Foundation, Berkshire Hathaway Energy Gas Transmission and Storage, the West Virginia Conservation Agency, the Elk Conservation District, the Northern Panhandle Conservation District, the Oakland Foundation and the West Virginia Department of Education.
Numerous volunteers make up the West Virginia Envirothon Committee, which includes representatives from the West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts, the West Virginia Division of Forestry, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, the West Virginia Conservation Agency, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and several of the state’s 14 conservation districts.
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