The Pennsylvania Envirothon, a statewide competition that educates high school students in natural resources and environmental sciences and emphasizes the importance of environmental sensitivity, and Digital-first Sponsor PSECU, launched a free, educational app.

Dubbed “Pennsylvania Envirothon,” the app is now available for download for both Android and Apple devices.

“Envirothon is a fun, academic event. It challenges high school students to think critically about the natural world and their roles in it. Envirothon combines in-class curriculum and outdoor training, helping students to learn more about our natural resources, flora and fauna, and current environmental issues,” said PA Envirothon Executive Director Lorelle Steach. “We believe our new app will play an even greater role in team preparation, especially with many students experiencing distance learning.”

The Pennsylvania Envirothon app was made possible with financial support from Pennsylvania’s anytime, anywhere digital credit union, PSECU.

“As an organization that has long embraced technology and its benefits, PSECU has been able to offer our members top-of-the-line digital tools and resources to securely and conveniently manage their finances anytime, anywhere,” explained PSECU President and CEO George Rudolph. “We’re sure that the new Pennsylvania Envirothon app will provide students – and the greater community of users – with many of the advantages of digitalization, too, all the while educating them as future environmental leaders. We couldn’t be prouder to serve as the project’s Digital-first Sponsor.”

The Pennsylvania Envirothon app encourages users to learn about topics including soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and environmental issues, and browse a feed of natural resource information – all while experiencing Pennsylvania’s outdoors. 

Features of the app include:

-- Links to Envirothon Station Training references

-- Guides to identifying trees, fish, wildlife, and more

-- Audio and photo files for identifying birds and their songs as well as frog and toad calls

-- Quizzing options to test lessons learned

-- Information about Digital-first Sponsor PSECU

Austin Jadlowiec, an Envirothon alum and junior at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a double major in math and computer engineering, developed and designed the new Pennsylvania Envirothon app.

"The Envirothon is a wonderful opportunity, no matter what your field of study is,” he shared about his experience with the competition. “If something interests you, chase it! You never know what opportunities it may lead to in the future."

“We hope users will find this portable guide useful as they train for Envirothon competitions or while they just enjoy all nature has to offer,” Steach added.

History

The first Envirothon competition was created in 1979 by the Fulton, Luzerne and Schuylkill conservation districts and by 1984 the program expanded to a statewide competition and then nationally and internationally.

Now more than 15,000 high school students across the state compete in 67 county Envirothons.

Pennsylvania has won the International Envirothon competition in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2017 and frequently places in the top 10 and top three finishers.

Alumni Stories

PA Envirothon invites alumni to submit your story about where you are now and how the PA Envirothon positively affected your life and career path. Click Here to contribute your story.

More Info

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Envirothon website.  Click Here to sign up for email updates.  Questions should be directed to Lorelle Steach, Executive Director, PA Envirothon, by calling 814-310-3271 or send email to: lsteach@envirothonpa.org. 

Questions on the app should be directed to David Misner, PSECU, call 717-261-7525 or send email to: dmisner@psecu.com.

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[Posted: December 22, 2020]

12/28/2020