Canon EnvirothonSpring 2009 Volume Six, No. 1

IN THIS ISSUE

North America’s largest high school environmental education competition

Welcome to North Carolina, “The Goodliest Land”

continued on page 7

The North Carolina Committee has been busily preparing for the 2009 Canon

Envirothon. We are looking forward to showcasing our state's natural beauty and offering attendees an experience to remember. University of North Carolina at Asheville is the host of this year's event, August 2–8. Tucked into the French Broad River valley between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, Asheville is an excellent place to be in August, with temperatures averaging 82 degrees high and 62 low. Asheville's 75,000 residents are a culturally diverse bunch—you'll find artists, musicians, and craftsmen around every corner. A number of writers have been inspired by Asheville, including Thomas Wolfe, Carl Sandburg, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. For visitors, the city's creative vibe means there's plenty of entertainment: live-music clubs like

the Orange Peel, galleries such as Grovewood, and independent bookstores like Malaprop's. Take time to explore the art deco architecture downtown and get a taste of what's cooking at eateries like Salsa's, Tupelo Honey, and the Laughing Seed. Don't leave downtown without a wander around the specialty shops at the 1920s Grove Arcade.

The area's wealth of natural attractions includes the Blue Ridge Parkway, the North Carolina Arboretum, the 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Rockies), Grandfather Mountain (an International Biosphere Reserve), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (America's most-visited national park), Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, and much more. With its mountain setting, the Asheville area is known for skiing and snowboarding.

by Steve Bennett and Bruce Miller, Co-chairs, 2009 Canon Envirothon

Spotlight on Michigan Envirothon....................................................page 4

Meet the newest members of the Canon Envirothon Team .....................................................................................page 5

Hooked on Envirothon, one alum’s story of how the competition shaped his life...........................................................................................page 6

Preparing for a 25 year milestone..............................................back page

University of North Carolina at Asheville

Picture courtesy of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Page Two

Canon EnvirothonP O Box 855League City, Texas 77573TEL: (800) 825-5547 ext. 2 FAX: (281) 332-5259trish-rowlands@nacdnet.orgCurrent and past issues of this newsletter are available at www.envirothon.org.

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” Many of you will recognize this quote by Niccolo Machiavelli, in 1532, as one of my favorites and an appropriate introduction to my thoughts this issue. In the Fall 2008 newsletter, I announced that Canon Envirothon was moving forward with the implementation of our long range plan to better meet our outreach needs and mission over the next five to ten years. That action included the hiring of two additional professional positions—

education specialist and a public relations specialist/assistant to the executive director. These two positions were filled but due to budget constraints only as part-time employees. Please read about the new members to our team in a separate article in this edition. The new education specialist, Suzanne Belflower began work on March 1st and is already busy reviewing the 2009 Canon Envirothon station tests and working with the host committee in North Carolina to produce a fair and competitive test. April Smith, public relations specialist, has been busy since March 1st not only with this edition of the newsletter but also updates to our website and preparing press coverage for the summer event. We will also restructure the League City office in mid-May to phase out the two current positions and replace them with one new position known as program operations specialist which will be responsible for day to day office operation and member assistance. This position will continue to be located in League City and plans are to post the job announcement in early April with hiring to be completed in May so to have no interruption in operations. Rest assured current staff will be encouraged to apply for this new position. This change should not affect the quality of service you have become accustomed to. The next months will be a time of growth for the Envirothon program and will require change on many fronts but I am confident that we as Envirothon family members will rise to the occasion and make this mission a success. Keep the Passion!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Shonny Nordlund, Montana Chairperson

Jim Potton, Manitoba, Canada Vice-Chair

Lorelle Steach, Pennsylvania Secretary

Peggy Lemons, Missouri Treasurer

Al Poindexter, Alaska Director At Large

Nelson Strong, Ohio Director At Large

Craig Zinter, Maryland Director At Large

STAFF

Clay Burns Executive Director Kay Asher Program Coordinator

Trish Rowlands Program Operations Assistant Suzanne Belflower Education Specialist

April Smith Public Relations Specialist

CURRENT SPONSORS & SUPPORTING AGENCIES

Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon Canada National Association of Conservation Districts USDA Forest Service Canadian Forestry Association

From the Executive Director...

Clay Burns, Executive Director

Page Three

CANON ENVIROTHON / Spring 2009

Greetings from “frosty” Montana. Here, the temperature went from around 70 degrees on Friday to 23 degrees just a few short days later! Needless to say, we will all be glad when spring actually decides to show up. I want to thank all the CEC’s who attended the Winter Meeting in New Orleans. I feel we had a very productive meeting, even with all the financial challenges going on in our world. We are still very lucky to be able to keep the Canon Envirothon program up and growing. We are and will be looking for additional funding to help during these times of economical hardship. We have moved forward with the hiring of two new part-time positions. Suzanne Belflower and April Smith. We want to welcome you the Canon Envirothon family. You both hit the ground

From the Board of Directors...

running and we look forward to working with you. We are keeping our with our long range plan with these positions. Although they were to be full-time positions, we are very lucky to have these two who are willing to work part-time. Thank you again. The Canon Board of Directors will meet in Denver for the Spring Board Meeting.

We will meet with Colorado folks on getting an Envirothon program started in their state. In addition, we are making headway in getting other states and Canadian provinces on board. I am proud to say that Montana has 36 teams in its competition this year—quite an increase from our usual 28. We look forward to seeing all of you at the Canon Envirothon in Asheville, North Carolina this summer. Happy Trails from Montana!

2009 Canon Envirothon, August 2-8, 2009 University of North Carolina, Asheville, N.C.

Topic “Biodiversity in A Changing World” Learning Objectives and resources are available at

www.envirothon.org.

2009 Online registration will be available mid-May.

2009 Membership Dues are PAST DUE!

2009 Mini Grant checks will be issued in late April/early May.

While Supplies Last! Ladies Polo CE shirts (navy) are available for purchase through the LC office (L-XL).

$25 each. (these were the shirts used for last year’s presentations)

For information about any of the above items, contact Trish Rowlands at (800) 825-5547 ext. 2.

Important Reminders!

The mission of the Canon Envirothon is to develop knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated citizens who have an understanding of natural resources and are willing and prepared to work towards achieving and maintaining a balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment.

Shonny Nordlund, 2008 ChairpersonCanon Envirothon Board of Directors

Page Four

CANON ENVIROTHON / Spring 2009

A unique component of the Michigan Envirothon is the Community Outreach Project. Each team identifies an environmental issue in their local area and develops a project to raise awareness in their community. The high school students who compete in the Michigan Envirothon always come up with an interesting and diverse group of projects. A team from the Branch Area Careers Center (BACC) won the 2008 Community Outreach award for their project involving educating elementary school students in their community about wildlife and wildlife habitats.

For over 14 years, science teacher Karen Richard has taken time out of her busy schedule to serve as a Envirothon Team Advisor.“I love environmental science and I’m an outdoor enthusiast. I love getting kids involved in the outdoors,” said Richard.

Community Outreach Projects bring Conservation Home

Richard has been teaching science for 20 years. For 13 years she has taught at Glen Lake High School in Leelanau County, Michigan where she teaches biology and environmental science courses. In 2008, she brought four teams from her school

Team Advisor Values Envirothon Experience

Spotlight on...

The BACC Envirothon team taught third through fifth grade students how to identify mammals, birds, and animal tracks, and explained the importance of wildlife habitat and threatened and endangered species. About 600 students

participated in the project which received recognition from their local newspaper. Envirothon teams from Glen Lake High School researched the feasibility of their school generating its own wind energy. The teams researched different aspects of the issue including the cost of different wind turbines and the potential for wind energy in their area. Another BACC team under went the process of having their school farm environmentally verified. Other teams took on issues like keeping used fishing line out of area lakes, creating habitat for pollinating insects and keeping household chemicals out of lakes and rivers.

By Brian Buehler, USDA/NRCS, Public Affair Specialist and Michigan Envirothon, Public Relations & Marketing, Chair

By Brian Buehler, USDA/NRCS, Public Affair Specialist and Michigan Envirothon, Public Relations & Marketing, Chair

continued on back page

to the state competition including the winning team that went on to the Canon North American Envirothon in Flagstaff, Arizona. Serving as a team advisor has been a learning experience for her and her students, said Richard. “I’ve learned a lot with the kids too, I’m not an expert in all these different areas.” The community outreach projects are also

Teams prepare a display and deliver an oral presentation explaining their community outreach projects.

Page Five

CANON ENVIROTHON / Spring 2009

The 2009 Diversity Enhancement and Underserved Audience Grants have been awarded to the following Envirothon programs— Alaska Envirothon received $2,500 to pay for a portion of student registrations, allowing a more diverse population of students to participate in the state competition. Maryland Envirothon received $2,000 for the Student Diversity in a Changing World project which will provide environmental education to high school students from Baltimore City. Michigan Envirothon received $2,000 for the development of hands-on environmental activity kits to recruit underserved areas of the state and to be used at regional and state competitions. Mississippi Envirothon received $2,000 to increase minority participation from the Mississippi Delta through enhanced training efforts and by providing travel expenses. New Brunswick Envirothon receieved $2,000 for the Envirothon New Brunswick Francophone Outreach project. The project will address the provincial language requirements to promote and facilitate Envirothon within the public school system. Thirty-five percent of New Brunswick’s population speaks Francophone. Newfoundland and Labrador Envirothon receieved $2,000 for the promotion of its Envirothon program in remote areas of the province through the involvement of a team from Menihek High School in Labrador City. Nova Scotia Envirothon received $2,000 to enhance its work with Aboriginal youth. Ohio Envirothon receieved $2,000 to promote knowledge of the environment and its conservation to underserved high school students through a series of workshops presented on the five topic areas used in Envirothon competition. Ontario Envirothon received $1,800 to encourage French speaking youth to join the Envirothon. Rhode Island Envirothon receieved $5,000 to expand the Envirothon program in new/underserved schools by providing financial assistance, technical/educational resources and access to additional resources via an enhanced website. Texas Envirothon received $1,998 to help more diverse teams compete in the Texas Envirothon.

2009 Grant Recipients Announced

•

Welcome to the Team

Suzanne Belflower joins Canon Envirothon as the education specialist. She brings to the organization extensive experience in the environmental education field. Suzanne holds a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and natural resource management from the University of Georgia and a master’s in education from

Piedmont College. She began her career as a soil conservationist with the Soil Conservation Service, now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The majority of her career has been spent in the classroom as an environmental educator and in the community developing environmental programs. She has also worked as the regional coordinator for the Northeast Georgia Youth Science & Technology Center where she planned science programs and workshops. April Smith is Canon Envirothon’s new public relations specialist. April began her career as a television news editor and quickly rose to the position of executive producer at a local ABC affiliate. The majority of her career has been spent in public relations and web management. She has experience in the conservation field, serving as public relations director for the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission and has worked with the Mississippi Envirothon. She also has experience working in radio, print media, and graphic design. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Mississippi College. Suzanne (suzanne-belflower@nacdnet.org) and April (april-smith@nacdnet.org) work part-time and are available during the following hours during the week—

Tuesday, 8am-4:30pm central timeWednesday, 8am-4:30pm central time Thursday, 8am-12pm central time.

Suzanne BelflowerEducation Specialist

April SmithPublic Relations Specialist

Page Six

CANON ENVIROTHON / Spring 2009

It was April of 1999 at Johnson-Sauk Trail State

Park in Henry County, IL, when I got my first taste of Envirothon. I was thinking to myself on that chilly April morning, “How cool is this! I am walking along in the woods with my friends from station to station hearing professionals speak about some of my favorite things!” They brought live props, fish, snapping turtles, different soil types, wildlife, and used the area trees for us to identify as part of the activities before we took tests. Never mind, how we placed, I was sure I wanted to do this again next year and that somehow in my future career I would be a part of this event. As a result of my competing in Envirothon, I became familiar with the Bureau County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and I gained part-time employment with them that lasted nearly three years. After college graduation, it became clear that conservation was my passion, so, I turned to the Natural Resource Conservation Service

(NRCS) for employment. My involvement with the SWCD and Envirothon helped me reach my career goals. In Illinois, I have been involved in eight Envirothon competitions to date—twice as a student, once as a teacher/team sponsor, and five times as an NRCS or SWCD volunteer. Now with NRCS in California, I am on the committees planning for the California state competition in 2009 as

well as the North American Canon Envirothon competition to be held at the University of California

Merced campus in 2010. I have to send a thank you out to my sponsor Mrs. Smith and those others who have made the Illinois Council 2 Envirothon competitions some of the best I have been to as a student, teacher, or volunteer. I was once asked how Envirothon has touched my life? My only response was, “How hasn’t it?” Honestly, my participation in those two competitions as a high school student enlightened me to a world of opportunities and career possibilities that I didn’t know existed. Envirothon is a great opportunity for high school students to take

I was once asked how Envirothon has touched my life? My only response was,

“How hasn’t it?”

After One Envirothon, This Illinois Alumnus Was HookedBy Jason D. Conner, Soil Conservationist, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Kern County, California

their love of nature and use it to learn, grow and plan for the future. My advice to current and future participants would be to keep your eyes open and take in all the information and opportunities available to you; do not just think of it as a day out of school. Thanks for shaping my life Envirothon!

Please share your success stories from

participants or exciting news about your

program!

Submit your information, photos and/or articles to

April Smith, public relations specialist and newsletter

editor, at april-smith@nacdnet.org.

As acting NRCS District Conservationist in Clark Co, IL Jason was able to reach one of his goals by helping with a Birds of Prey Demonstration at the Clark County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Annual Meeting in 2008.

Page Seven

CANON ENVIROTHON / Spring 2009

But, not to be outdone by the snowy season, summer lures visitors with countless hiking trails and plentiful opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, rafting, fishing, or other fun on the water. Whatever your sport, unwind in high style afterward at the historic Grove Park Inn's cavernous spa, named one of the World's Best Hotel Spas by Travel & Leisure. During your visit, local tour company, Accents on Asheville, will show you a number of regional attractions. One of the biggest is

Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in America, built between 1889 and 1895 for George Washington Vanderbilt. Everyone will have the chance to tour the 250-room mansion, and many of us will visit the winery and the grounds, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, famous for designing New York's Central Park. Olmsted, along with forester Gifford Pinchot (who later headed the U.S. Division of Forestry), created one of the earliest forest management plans in the U.S. here. The Biltmore Forest School, the first of its kind in the country, was established in 1898—making Biltmore the Birthplace of Forestry.

On Thursday, our entire group will travel to the Cherokee Indian Reservation, bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We'll visit the museum, Indian village, gem mine, and arts and crafts center. We'll also learn about the Trail of Tears through the outdoor drama Unto These Hills. If time permits, spend an extra day or two in North Carolina. Fly in to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, rent a van, and take in a few sights on the way to Asheville. Numerous NASCAR Sprint Cup teams are based here, as well as scenic spots like Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. If you're arriving in Asheville early, sample Southern Appalachian culture at the 82nd annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival July 30–August 1 or stick around to see cloggers, bluegrass, and storytellers at Shindig on the Green the evening of August 8 (folkheritage.org). Want more information? Visit asheville.com and exploreasheville.com.

North Carolina continued from front page

Picture courtesy of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Biltmore Estates, Asheville.

Picture courtesy of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Canon EnvirothonP.O. Box 855612 W. Main St. #102League City, Texas 77574-0855

CANON ENVIROTHON / Spring 2009

Team Advisor continued from page 4

Plans for 25th Anniversary Competiton and Celebration UnderwayPlans are already being made for the Envirothon’s 25th anniversary celebration coming up in 2012. Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania has been chosen as the host site for the 2012 Canon Envirothon. Many people have expressed interest in assisting with planning, organizing, and implementing the 2012 Canon Envirothon. Now that the host site has been selected, volunteers are being recruited to help in the planning process. The host Envirothon program, Pennsylvania Envirothon, will hold a meeting Tuesday, June 16th, at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the various committees and the responsibilities, seek volunteers for those commitees, assign tasks, and begin work to coordinate a special 25th anniversary competition and celebration. The location of the meeting is to be determined. If you are interested in assisting with the 2012 Canon Envirothon in any way, please contact co-chairs, Leigh Beamesderfer or Lorelle Steach at Canon2012@lccd.org.

important, said Richard. Students feel like they make a difference. Several Envirothon competitors from her school have gone on to pursue conservation careers in college, she said.Richard is already holding meetings during lunch time for students interested in competing in 2009. About 14 to 15 students regularly attend, she said. Many students compete every year through high school but this year some first-time seniors are attending the meetings. “It’s a great activity for the kids to be involved in.”

Karen Richard with her students in Flagstaff.