YORK — The York County Conservation District held their fourth and final Envirothon competition for the season on May 8th, at John Rudy County Park.
Third & fourth Graders from 17 different York County School Districts participated.
The Envirothon is a Senior High competitive outdoor event that begins across North America each fall, when over half a million high school students form extra-curricular teams and meet with coaches at their schools to study coursework in Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife and an environmental current issues topic.
This year’s senior high Current Issues topic was “Benefits of Grasslands & Pasture Management.” The Senior High Event was held on April 24th, following by Middle School on May 1st, 5th & 6th Grades on May 2nd and 3rd & 4th Grades on May 8th.
Because York County begins the Envirothon in the third grades it has among the highest level of participation in North America. The year-round courses of study culminate in challenging day-long competitions in late April and early May. Points are accumulated for over-all team scores and category scores with trophies and ribbons presented to the winning teams during an awards ceremony after a picnic lunch.
This year was the 33rd Senior High Envirothon Competition, with 21 high school teams & coaches and 126 students testing their knowledge of those environmental issues at this grade level.
This year’s first place Senior High team overall was from the York Homeschool Association (YHSA). They will now represent York County at the Pennsylvania State Envirothon on May 22nd & 23rd held this year at Susquehanna University, where they will compete against 65 other counties.
York County has won the PA State Envirothon three times — Red Lion in 1991, Northern York in 2007 & the York Homeschoolers in 2013.
The $500.00 Paul Wilson Conservation Award, sponsored by the District and the York County Izaak Walton League, chapter #67, was presented to Sam Zink of Kennard Dale High School.
2018 Senior High top-ten overall placing (total score of 500)
Held April 24th (21 teams)
1st Place – YHSA Onomatopoetic Omnipoetics – 432
2nd – Dallastown Hellbenders – 384
3rd – Dallastown Wrenegades – 376
4th – West York Wildfire – 366
5th – Central York Iconic Isopods – 324
6th – YHSA Leptocephalus – 305
7th – Susquehannock Slippery Salamanders – 283
8th – Northern Nighthawks – 281
9th – Red Lion Roadkill – 268
10th – Northeastern Psychedelic Squirrels – 260
Senior High Category Awards (each out of 100 points):
Aquatics
3rd Place – Central York Iconic Isopods – 84
2nd Place – West York Wildfire – 89
1st Place – YHSA Onomatopoetic Omnipoetics – 97
Current Issues – “Benefits of Pasture & Grassland Management”
3rd Place – West York Wildfire – 83
2nd Place – YHSA Onomatopoetic Omnipoetics – 88
1st Place – Dallastown Hellbenders – 88 (tiebreaker)
Forestry
3rd Place – West York Wildfire – 64
2nd Place – Dallastown Hellbenders 70
1st Place – YHSA Onomatopoetic Omnipoetics – 83
Soils
3rd Place – Northern Nighthawks – 81
2nd Place – Red Lion Roadkill – 86
1st Place – YHSA Onomatopoetic Omnipoetics – 92
Wildlife
3rd Place – YHSA Onomatopoetic Omnipoetics – 72
2nd Place – Dallastown Hellbenders – 78
1st Place – Dallastown Wrenegades – 84
