The Wayne Highlands School District team called Spudsters from Honesdale High School are the overall winners of the 2018 Pike/Wayne Envirothon.

Second place went to Enviro Freaks of Wallenpaupack Area School District. The 32nd Annual Pike/Wayne Envirothon was held Thursday, April 26, 2018 at the Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center in Hawley with an exciting day of competition.

The 1st place Wayne Highlands team will represent Wayne County at the State Envirothon event at Susquehanna University and Camp Mount Luther on May 22 and 23, 2018. The highest scoring team for Pike County, Enviro Freaks from Wallenpaupack Area School District, will represent Pike County at the State event.

Envirothon is a one-day educational competition designed to test the knowledge, skills and problem solving capabilities of high school students regarding our earth’s natural resources. This year’s event included teams from Canaan Christian Academy, Honesdale, and Western Wayne high schools in Wayne County; and Delaware Valley and Wallenpaupack high schools, in Pike County.

Each five-member team competed by applying their knowledge and problemsolving skills in subject areas that included: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils/ Land Use, Wildlife, and a Current Issue which was “Benefits of Grassland and Pastureland Management.”

The Pike/Wayne Envirothon and Pennsylvania Envirothon partner with the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resource Bureaus of Forestry and State Parks, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to bring this competition to students each year. These committed partners provide educational reference materials for high school teams as well as technical expertise, knowledge, and manpower at the event.

Each year both Pike and Wayne Conservation Districts seek financial contributions to support this highly successful youth conservation program. Donations support the purchase of Envirothon T-shirts, educational prizes and awards, lunch and an ice creambar.Yatsonsky’sFarm donated the ice cream.

This year’s sponsors include Brookfield, Camp Umpy’s Bagels & Stuff and Wash & Fold, Creamworks, Dirlum Bros. Lumber Company, Dutch’s Market, The Dime Bank, Dyberry Sand & Gravel Co., Fox Hill Farms,TheHideoutProperty Owner’s Association, Honesdale Farm & Garden, Northern Tier Hardwood Association, Pennsylvania Trappers Association District 9, REMAX/Wayne, Wallenpaupack Veterinary Clinic, and Woodloch Pines Resort. Additional funding for this year’s Pike/ Wayne Envirothon was provided by the Pennsylvania Envirothon Inc. through its education grant with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Education Fund.The Pike/Wayne Envirothon is coordinated by the Pike and Wayne County Conservation Districts.