LINCOLN, Nebraska – Amidst the picturesque Missouri River bluffs in northeastern Nebraska, high school students from across the state met at Ponca State Park for the 32nd annual Nebraska State Envirothon April 24, 2024. Concordia Lutheran High School from Omaha, Nebraska, took home the championship along with $1,500 and will represent Nebraska at the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon in Geneva, New York.

Envirothon is an environmental education program for high school students that combines classroom learning and outdoor activities. The competition rotates around the state, and this year’s competition was hosted at Ponca State Park near Ponca, Nebraska.

“Envirothon allows students to get outdoors and learn about natural resources in a hands-on environment,” said Martin Graff, Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) president. “The activities are designed to help students become environmentally aware, action-oriented adults, but also exposes them to many exciting career opportunities.”

During the state competition, five-member teams were tested on their knowledge of aquatics, forestry, policy, range, soils and wildlife, as well as prepared and delivered an oral presentation focusing on a current environmental issue. Some of the immersive test questions require students to identify live snakes, measure trees, distinguish range grasses and test water quality.

The 2024 oral presentation theme “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future” challenged teams to propose a solution to a complex problem before a panel of judges. Teams presented as part of a hypothetical design committee whose mission was to evaluate and discuss the benefits and challenges of a proposed hydroelectric power plant.

“Students work together to research the current environmental issue, and consider the hypothetical impacts,” Graff said. “It is important to train students to think critically and problem solve, because they’ll encounter difficult issues in their lives and their future careers.”

The NARD Foundation awarded cash prizes to the top three teams at the state competition:

• First Place ($1,500): Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
• Second Place ($1,000): St. Paul High School
• Third Place ($500): Overton High School

Additional prizes were awarded to the top teams in each testing category:

• Aquatics: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
• Forestry: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
• Policy (Tie): Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha) & Overton High School
• Range: Burwell High School
• Soils: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
• Wildlife: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
• Oral Presentation: St. Paul High School

Sixty-eight teams competed in the regional contests during February and March, and 14 teams qualified to participate in the state competition.

Concordia Lutheran High School will represent Nebraska at the NCF-Envirothon July 28 to Aug. 3, 2024, to compete for a top prize of $15,000. The international NCF-Envirothon will be hosted at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, and include more than 45 teams from the U.S., Canada, China and Singapore.

In addition to Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts, 2024 Nebraska Envirothon sponsors and partners included Farm Credit Services of America, HDR, Houston Engineering, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska FFA Foundation, Smithfield Foods, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources.

Learn more about the Nebraska Envirothon at www.nrdnet.org/nebraska-envirothon.

Concordia Lutheran High School of Omaha, Nebraska, takes home the Nebraska Envirothon Championship April 24, 2024. Team members include: Avery Dieckman, David Rice, Malachia Ellis, Margret Rice and Mayleigh Walvoord, and are coached by Mike Ellis.