Erie County Team Wins 18th Annual Pennsylvania State Envirothon

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TO STATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Erie County Team Wins 18th Annual Pennsylvania State Envirothon

Winning Team to Compete in National Envirothon

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, May. 24 -/E-Wire/-- The "Green Flash" team from North East High School in Erie County won the 18th annual State Envirothon competition this week at Bald Eagle State Park near Bellefonte, Centre County.

"Pennsylvania's Envirothon program is an essential part of our students' environmental education," Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary David E. Hess said. "As students learn about the environment, ways to care for it and what to do to protect it, they ultimately gain respect for their natural resources."

The team, all Boy Scouts, accumulated 462 out of a potential 500 points. Their closest rival was second-place winner Penncrest High School of Delaware County with 419 points. Third place went to Blue Mountain High School of Schuylkill County.

The Envirothon is designed to give students an opportunity to acquire and demonstrate their knowledge of environmental resources and their connection to each other and human activities. The students are challenged in the areas of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and a current environmental issue. This year's environmental issue focused on urban nonpoint source pollution.

Teams representing 65 Pennsylvania counties competed in this year's event. Teams qualify for the statewide competition by winning local Envirothons. This year, more than 20,000 high-school students were involved with Envirothon programs in their schools, and 5,500 students from across the Commonwealth competed at the local level.

The winner of the state Envirothon will represent Pennsylvania at the 14th National Envirothon in Raymond, Mississippi, this summer. Previous Pennsylvania teams won the national Envirothon competition in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997 and 2000. Forty-two states and four Canadian provinces have initiated Envirothon contests based on Pennsylvania's program and are reaching more than 500,000 young people.

Originally called the Environmental Olympics, Pennsylvania's Envirothon began in 1979 as a local, outdoor, hands-on competition. In 1984, the first state Enviro-Olympics was held with six teams participating.

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, the State Conservation Commission and Pennsylvania's Conservation Districts sponsor the state Envirothon. DEP, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service provide technical expertise.

For more information, visit DEP through the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us or directly at www.dep.state.pa.us (directLINK "Envirothon").

CONTACT: Kristen Wolf, Information Specialist of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, [REDACTED-PHONE].

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X91844307

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

http://www.state.pa.us

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