In early March, high school and middle school students across the state of Louisiana took part in the 17th annual Louisiana Envirothon, an environmental problem-solving competition highlighting students’ knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management. Participants, who worked in teams, competed in the areas of soil and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues, and were challenged with developing creative solutions and mitigation strategies.
This year’s environmental issue, “Adapting to a Changing Climate,” tasked students with investigating the impacts of rising temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions on human social and economic systems, and more specifically, natural resource-dependent communities in New Brunswick, Canada. The first-place team, “The Tree Huggers,” consisted of four students from Baton Rouge Magnet High School, who will go on to represent Louisiana at the National Envirothon hosted by the National Conservation Foundation.
