Arizona Envirothon Competition Overview

Arizona Envirothon is a hands‑on, team‑based environmental education competition that challenges high school students to apply real‑world natural resource knowledge and communicate practical solutions. The event consists of two major components: Ecostation field testing and a team oral presentation.

 

Ecostation Field Testing

Teams rotate through four themed Ecostations: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils & Land Use, and Wildlife with each incorporating elements of the annual current issue topic. At every station, students complete a written team test that may require:

• Using field instruments such as binoculars, pH meters, clinometers, Munsell soil color charts

• Making observations of environmental conditions

• Applying knowledge gained through study and preparation

 

Questions may be true/false, multiple choice, short answer, or fill‑in‑the‑blank, with each worth one or more points.

 

Oral Presentation

Clear communication is essential in environmental problem‑solving, and Envirothon emphasizes this skill through a team oral presentation. Using knowledge from all five study areas, teams analyze a real‑world natural resource scenario, develop a plan of action, and present their solution to a panel of judges.

 

Students must “wear the hat” of multiple natural resource professionals to understand and address the current issue scenario. Judges include natural resource experts, city managers, and other decision‑makers from across Arizona.

 

Two weeks before the competition, teams receive the scenario and prepare a 10‑minute presentation using PowerPoint or similar software. Presentations are submitted on a thumb drive at registration.

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Preliminary Round

Each team delivers its 10‑minute presentation to a panel of three judges, followed by a 10‑minute Q&A. All five team members must participate. Teams are scored on:

• Presentation quality

• Strength and clarity of their proposed plan

• Comprehensiveness in addressing relevant environmental issues

Preliminary presentation scores are combined with scores from the four Ecostation tests. The top three teams advance to the final round.

 

Final Round

Finalists present again, this time to a new panel of 3-5 judges and the full assembly. Final round scores replace preliminary presentation scores. The team with the highest combined score wins the Arizona Envirothon.

 

Awards

The top three teams receive prizes such as gift certificates, plaques, medals, and other merchandise. The first‑place team also earns an expense‑paid trip to represent Arizona at the NCF‑Envirothon, North America’s largest natural resource competition for high school students.