The Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts is the sponsoring organization for the Mississippi Envirothon, the state high-school level environmental competition which serves as the state qualifier for the National Conservation Foundation Envirothon Competition. Participants become a part of educational history of Mississippi by participating in the annual Mississippi Envirothon.
Designed to foster cooperation and teamwork, 5-member teams are tested not only on their knowledge in the topic areas, but also on their ability to apply that knowledge to solve real-life problems. Problem-solving and teamwork are skills that enhance participants’ ability to take leadership roles after high school or college, no matter their chosen field or career.
The Envirothon started in 1979 in Pennsylvania. Mississippi first joined the national competition in 1998, placing second in the NCF-Envirothon in 2001. In 2017, Mississippi’s team from Oxford High School placed sixth in the NCF-Envirothon. In its 38th year, the national event has grown to more than one million participants from all 50 states and a dozen provinces.
MISSION
The mission of the Envirothon is to develop knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated citizens who have an understanding of natural resources and are willing and prepared to work towards achieving and maintaining a balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment. The mission is accomplished by developing an understanding of the principles and practices of natural resource management and ecology training in young people through the practice of dealing with complex resource management decisions.
The overall goal of Envirothon is to promote natural resource education in a manner that succeeding generations will be more environmentally literate, with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions regarding the environment and our natural resources.