The Ocean County Soil Conservation District is a proud sponsor of the New Jersey Envirothon.
The New Jersey Envirothon will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at the Burlington County Soil Conservation District property and grounds, Columbus, NJ. The Envirothon is a hands-on natural resources problem-solving competition for high school students. In early May, teams of five students representing high schools from around the state convene for a day-long event, with honors, prizes, and scholarships at stake. In preparing for the competition, students pursue in-depth knowledge about New Jersey’s natural resources and gain skills needed to navigate the complex environmental issues of today and tomorrow. Guided by a local teacher or parent, the participants use online study guides and attend in-person training workshops provided by natural resource professionals from the various sponsoring organizations.
The 2025 Current Issue Topic is Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.
Register your team of high school students in this fun, outdoor, hands-on environmental competition. Contact the NJ Envirothon Coordinator for more information and to register your team.
OCSCD collaborates with our 14 sister Soil Conservation Districts and NJACD to help facilitate the New Jersey Envirothon. Students who test their knowledge on environmental topics including Soils, Land Use, Wildlife, Aquatic Ecology and Current Environmental Issues. The competition incorporates STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles, experiential learning and hands-on outdoor field experiences.
OCSCD and Freehold SCD work together to manage the Wildlife Station, which includes a “hands-on”, as well as a “written” test component.
This annual competition culminates in one intense day where students use critical thinking skills to create inventive solutions to complex environmental problems, and test their practical knowledge of environmental topics through interactive problem solving. The team that best demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of natural resources, as well as teamwork and communication skills, moves on to represent New Jersey in the North American Envirothon competition which is the largest high school environmental education competition in North America.
This multi-day international event further tests the team’s understanding of the environment and involves teams from all regions of the United States and Canada. The North American Envirothon is managed and directed by National Conservation Foundation and its NCF-Envirothon Operating Committee.
Participating students also have the opportunity to attend comprehensive training prior to the event. Trainings are offered at several locations throughout the state, one in North Jersey, one in Central Jersey and one in South Jersey. These training days are designed to give students an idea of the types of questions and activities that they will be asked to complete on the day of the competition.
Please visit the Official NJ Envirothon Website for more information, or to register for the next NJ Envirothon.
Students participating in the Forestry Station at the 2007 Envirothon.
Congratulations to our hometown high school, MATES (Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science) who won First Place in the 2023 NJ Envirothon competition! Read more about the 2023 NJ Envirothon
