ILLINOIS ENVIROTHON COMPETITION
AISWCD is proud to host the Illinois Envirothon competition, an educational competition held annually at the 4H Memorial Camp in Monticello (see 2024 results). The competition tests five person teams of high school students from all corners of the state on their knowledge of the natural environment while requiring them to showcase and apply analytical problem-solving in developing solutions to environmental and natural resource issues. The competition aims to:
- Enhances a student’s critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Allows students to expand their knowledge concerning current environmental issues, along with – showing the impact individual actions have on various environmental problems
- Helps students become tomorrow’s leaders, workers, and consumers who will make informed decisions
- Gives students valuable exposure to careers in environmental science and natural resource management
- Teaches students to become environmentally aware, action-oriented adults
The teams are tested and judged on competency in five core areas of subject matter including;
- soils,
- aquatics,
- forestry,
- wildlife,
- and one other environmental issue that changes from year to year.
The 16 Land Use Councils of the AISWCD each hold local competitions, and the winners from those advance to the state competition. The top placing team at the state competition ultimately will represent Illinois in the national competition. To learn more, please visit the Illinois Envirothon and the national Envirothon webpages.