The District partnered with the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center to host the first virtual Envirothon Competition in Prince George’s County!
UPPER MARLBORO, MD – Today the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District (PGSCD) announced that Eleanor Roosevelt High School won first-place honors at this year’s Prince George’s County Envirothon. Laurel High School had a good showing at this year’s competition coming in second place. The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District and William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center hosted the 2021 Prince George’s County Envirothon virtually on April 21st. Nine teams of Prince George’s County Public High School students were tested in four different areas including aquatics, forestry, soils, and wildlife. Participating schools included Duval, Eleanor Roosevelt, Fairmont Heights, Laurel, Oxon Hill and Potomac high schools.
“We are so proud of our students who competed in the 2021 Prince George’s County Envirothon. A special congratulations to the winning team from Eleanor Roosevelt High School and the runners-up from Laurel High School,” said Steven E. Darcey-CPESC, PGSCD’s District Manager. “This program would not be a success without the hard work and dedication of the local envirothon coordinators, teachers, and sponsors! Thank you to everyone involved. Let’s go win the Maryland State Envirothon!”
Traditionally, this competition combines “hands-on” experiences, testing, and teamwork at the Schmidt Center; it is designed to challenge and prepare the winning team for the Maryland Envirothon. This year, Prince George’s County was the only Maryland jurisdiction to host a virtual local competition. The State competition will be held on a virtual platform developed by the University of Maryland from April 26 – 29. Because counties didn’t host local competitions, Maryland Envirothon opened this year’s event to all teams from around the State interested in participating in this rigorous competition. The State Envirothon champions will advance to the National Conservation Foundation Envirothon being held virtually from July 25 – 28.
The District and Schmidt Center worked with partners from the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission’s Parks and Recreation division and Maryland’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS-MD) to provide training opportunities and resources to teams and their coaches. The Resource Specialists from Parks & Recreation and NRCS-MD meet monthly to develop an interactive virtual training day, competition, review, and awards ceremony to prepare students for the State competition.
The Envirothon concept increases in popularity with more counties and states participating each year. Our goal is to educate as many students and teachers as possible on the importance of conserving our natural resources and, in turn, helping the environment. We are #PrinceGeorgesProud!
About the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District
Started in 1941, the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District aims to protect and promote the health, safety, and general welfare of state and local citizens. The District aims to enhance their environment by conserving soil, water and related resources, controlling and preventing soil erosion in order to preserve natural resources, control floods, prevent impairment of dams and reservoirs, assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors, preserve wildlife, protect the tax base, and protect public lands.
The Prince George’s Soil Conservation District provides technical planning and implementation services to the urban development industry, the rural agricultural industry, the County’s agricultural land preservation programs, the urban agricultural industry, and maintains an active outreach and education program.
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Media Contact
Donnell Richardson
Prince George’s Soil Conservation District
pgscd@co.pg.md.us
(301) 574-5162 x3
