2019 Envirothon NB Competition

Held at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John, May 5 & 6, 2019

Press Release May 8, 2019

Media contact:

Becky Geneau, Provincial Program Coordinator, Envirothon New Brunswick;

becky.geneau@scienceeast.nb.ca

Envirothon NB Students Explore Smart Farming for a Small Planet 

Fredericton, NB May 8, 2019—The population of the Earth is estimated to be approximately 9 billion by the year 2050.  The concern for the agriculture is how to grow enough food to feed this growing population, while also protecting natural resources such as soil, water, air, wind. May 5 & ,6 16 teams competed in the Envirothon NB competition at the YMCA Glenn Carpenter Centre in Saint John to explore how agriculture and natural resource areas are interrelated, and how the use of new technologies are key to increase food production.ldlife, and forestry resources.

Each year, Envirothon NB hosts high school student teams from across New Brunswick to explore the needs of the natural world and the effects of human impacts on the environment. The competition focuses on a new environmental issue each year. Key topics for 2019 included the importance of moving toward sustainable farming systems to conserve natural resources and mitigate climate change, composting, crop rotations, cover crops, conservation tillage, management intensive grazing systems to improve soil health; and the role of new technology,such as drones, to increase farm efficiency for food production.

The 2019 Envirothon NB winning team was from Tantramar Regional High School. Team members were Isaac Ayer, Isaiah Ayer, Joseph Caswell, Oliver Priemer and Casey Murray (captain). The team won first place overall including top for Forestry, Wildlife, Aquatics and Oral Presentation. It was the first year that Tantramar has competed at this event. The Tantramar team will be offered the opportunity to represent New Brunswick at the international Envirothon which will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina July 28 – Aug 2, 2019. Stanley Consolidated School took 2nd place with Bernice MacNaughton High School from Moncton coming in 3rd place in the competition.

About Envirothon NB & the North American Envirothon Competition

Envirothon is North America’s largest high school environmental education competition. Each Year, 500,000 people from 4,000 high schools across North America participate.

New Brunswick’s regional competition, Envirothon NB, is administered under Science East Science Centre. The competition is held in a different environmental setting each year in New Brunswick and explores a new environmental issue each year. Students attend workshops, field trips and tours throughout the year on wildlife, forestry, soils, and aquatics. The program culminates in a final outdoor challenge where they apply their knowledge. Multiple competing teams of 5 students are tested for their knowledge and skills in an outdoor environment through both written examinations and oral presentations. Trophies, medals, and prizes are awarded to top teams with a chance to move on to the North American Envirothon competition. In 2021, New Brunswick will host the North American Envirothon with 2000 students visiting from across the US, Canada and other international countries.

-30-