PA's Team - Chrissa Kuntz (advisor), Michelle Henry, Emily Moberg, Mark Samilenko (advisor), Vic Janmey, Joe Walker and Aimee Davis

For the tenth time in eighteen years, Pennsylvania’s Envirothon Team won the national Canon Environthon competition. This year’s team was made up of five students from the Penncrest High School in Delaware County.

The Pennsylvania team scored 578.50 points out of a possible total of 700.

Members of the champion team are: Joe Walker, Michelle Henry, Aimee Davis, Emily Moberg, and Vic Janmey. Team coaches are Mark Samilenko and Chrissa Kuntz.

Each of the five Penncrest team members received a $5,000 scholarship and products from Canon. The coaches received Canon DV camcorders and the team’s sponsoring conservation district, Delaware County, received a Canon digital camera.

In addition to winning the overall competition, the team was also recognized for their high scores in the soils/land use, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and forestry stations. In addition they received the top oral presentation score.

Fifty teams, 43 from the U.S. and seven from Canada, convened July 18 - 24 in Springfield, Missouri, to participate in North America’s largest high school environmental education competition. Participants learned about environmental issues affecting natural resources as they competed for a share of the U.S. $75,000 in college scholarships and prizes in the 2005 Canon Envirothon.

The Envirothon originated with Pennsylvania’s conservation districts and is now run by the National Association of Conservation Districts in the U.S. and The Canadian Forestry Association.

The competition tests teams on knowledge of soils/land use, forestry, aquatic ecology, wildlife and this year’s current issue of managing cultural landscapes-- natural and cultural heritage are inextricably bound together and the conservation approach could benefit from more integration.

The Canon Envirothon is the culmination of a series of competitions that began this past spring involving more than 500,000 teenagers throughout North America. In written tests and oral presentations, five member teams from schools and organizations competed for the distinction of representing their state or province at the Canon Envirothon.

Each team’s knowledge was tested under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists, wildlife specialists and other natural resource professionals. Teamwork, problem solving and oral presentation skills were evaluated as each team offers a panel of judges an oral presentation containing recommendations for solving an environmental challenge that was presented during the competition.

This is the ninth year the competition was sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc.. Canon delivers consumer, business-to-business and industrial imaging solutions. Canon works to protect the environment through its award-winning Clean Earth Campaign that encompasses development of energy-efficient office products, equipment remanufacturing and materials reuse, and the protection of endangered species and environmental education through its corporate philanthropy and employee volunteerism.

Pennsylvania’s Envirothon would not be possible were it not for its host of sponsors, partners, and contributors – Pennsylvania’s sixty-six conservation districts, the PA Association of Conservation Districts, State Conservation Commission, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fish and Boat Commission, Game Commission, Air Products & Chemicals, Inc., Nestle Water North America Inc. and PPL.

The Fish & Boat Commission and Game Commission provided special funding to send Pennsylvania’s team to the Canon Envirothon competition.

The top ten teams include: 1st – Pennsylvania, 2nd – Virginia, 3rd – Delaware, 4th – Texas, 5th – Wisconsin, 6th – New Jersey, 7th – Ohio, 8th – Connecticut, 9th – New York and 10th – Minnesota.

Visit Pennsylvania’s Envirothon Program webpage for more information or contact Lorelle Steach, Pennsylvania Envirothon, Inc., 814-623-7900 ext. 111 or send email to: paenvirothon@pennswoods.net .

7/29/2005