1. Texas Envirothon Spring 2016 | Texas Environmental Institute of Houston

2. What is the Texas Envirothon? An environmental education program designed to enhance a student’s problem solving and critical thinking skills.

3. Who participates? Students in grades 9 through 12 participate on a state level. Each state’s winning team participates on the national level at the NCF Envirothon.

4. And the Topics Are:  Aquatics

5. And the Topics Are:  Aquatics  Forestry

6. And the Topics Are:  Aquatics  Forestry  Soils

7. And the Topics Are:  Aquatics  Forestry  Soils  Wildlife

8. And the Topics Are:  Aquatics  Forestry  Soils  Wildlife  Current Environmental Issue

9. And the Topics Are:  Aquatics  Forestry  Soils  Wildlife  Current Environmental Issue  Oral Presentation

10. Correlated to TEKS Biology, Chemistry, Physics, IPC Aquatic Science, Earth and Space Science Environmental Systems Forestry and Woodland Ecosystems Wildlife Fisheries & Ecology Management

11. Our Mission The mission of the Texas Envirothon is to develop knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated citizens who are willing to work toward achieving and maintaining a natural balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment.

12. What do the students say? I definitely believe that Envirothon was the most important experience I had in high school in terms of preparing me for college and a future beyond that. Melisa Pferdehirt The John Cooper School Sophomore at Rice University

13. Goal 1 of the Texas Envirothon To promote a desire to learn more about the environment and develop knowledge and skills to apply the basic principles and practices of natural resource management and ecology.

14. Goal 2 of the Texas Envirothon To provide students with experiences in natural resource oriented activities, which enable them to become environmentally aware and action oriented citizens.

15. Goal 3 of the Texas Envirothon To promote the stewardship of natural resources through the development of critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills.

16. What do the teachers say? “This competition is by far my favorite part of the year when I get to study, work, practice, and travel with my best, brightest students. I can’t say enough of how great this is, and how Envirothon has made me a better teacher.” Anthony Strohmeyer, Richardson High School “Envirothon has really influenced my students in so many ways.” Andrew Cortez, Science Academy of South Texas

17. History of the Envirothon 1979 - Envirothon started by a local conservation district in Pennsylvania 1988 - 3 teams - First National Envirothon 1994 - 23 teams 1999 - 46 teams 2013 - 57 teams 2014 - 8 teams 2015 - 52 teams

18. History of the Texas Envirothon 2001 Stephen F. Austin State University; 12 teams 2002 Tyler Junior College; 7 teams 2003 Armand Bayou, UHCL; 14 teams 2004 Bear Creek Park, Houston; 11 teams 2005 Big Thicket National Preserve, Kountze; 9 teams 2006 Eastman Nature Trail, Longview; 14 teams 2007 Sheldon Lake State Park, Houston; 19 teams 2008 Brookhaven College, Dallas; 18 teams

19. 2009 TX A&M Kingsville, Kingsville; 14 teams 2010 UHCL, Houston; 11 teams 2011 Eastman Nature Trail, Longview; 13 teams 2012 SFA State University, Nacogdoches; 8 teams 2013 UT Pan American, Edinburg; 13 teams 2014 UHCL, Houston; 21 teams 2015 Schreiner University, Kerrville; 20 teams History of the Texas Envirothon

20. Awards – Texas Awards for top score in Aquatics, Wildlife, Forestry, Soils, Current Issue, & Oral Presentation Awards for overall 1 st, 2 nd, & 3 rd place

21. Awards – National Winning Texas team attends the NCF Envirothon competition where students compete for scholarships and prizes. Over $100,000 of scholarships available 2016 North American Envirothon: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada July 24–July 29

22. 2005, 2006 National Winners Texas takes 4 th and 3 rd at the Canon Envirothon John Cooper High School

23. 2014 Regional Winners Texas Team wins Kansas Heartland Envirothon Academy of Science and Technology

24. 2015 National Winners Texas wins 3 rd at North American Envirothon Academy of Science and Technology

25. Who funds the Texas program? 2015 Sponsors  Eastman Chemical Company  LyondellBasell  Environmental Institute of Houston  Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority  The Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation  NCF Envirothon  Texas Association of Environmental Professionals  Texas Forestry Association  U.S. Forest Service  San Antonio Water System  Texas Association for Environmental Education  Association of Texas Soil & Water Conservation Districts  Harris County Soil & Water Conservation District  Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation District

26. Cost Registration is $150/team Registration includes on-line study materials, t-shirt, Sunday dinner, & Monday awards luncheon Schools pay their own travel and hotel costs; we negotiate a discounted rate with a local hotel

27. Date & Location Dates for this year are … April 2–4, 2016 Greater Houston Area

28. Training Teacher training workshop (free!) Date TBA UHCL Campus, Houston Online resources available: www.texasenvirothon.org www.envirothon.org

29. Promoting the Texas Envirothon www.TexasEnvirothon.org Follow us: For more information: Wendy Reistle: Reistle@uhcl.edu