The mission of the North American Envirothon competition is to foster knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated citizens who have an understanding of natural resources, and develop citizens who are willing and prepared to work towards achieving and maintaining a balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment. This mission is accomplished by engaging young people in a competitive process that fosters their understanding of the principles and practices associated with the management of natural resource and ecology. Students are challenged to apply their knowledge in a competitive process as they are presented with complex ecological dilemmas. One particular group of LaBrae students for the last two years has been the best the State of Ohio has to offer. The LaBrae Envirothon Team, coached by biology teacher Craig Klotzbach, won their second state championship in June. At the state competition, team finished in first place in Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife, and the presentation on Invasive Species. They finished second place in Soils.
The team's victory earned them the opportunity to compete in the national competition held in Ontario, Canada from July 24th to July 29th. This year's competition was titled Invasive Species: A Challenge to the Environment, Economy and Society. More information on the particular aspects of the competition can be found by following this link: 2016 National Envirothon. The LaBrae team improved upon their 19th place finish in 2015 by finishing 8th in this year's national competition. Congratulations are in order for Mr. Klotzbach and team members Tessa Smith, Alexis Nubani, Maddie Cope, Joe Jaros, and Caleb Hineman.
Reference: www.envirothon.org/aboutus
