- From the Valley to the Badlands -
North Dakota
Envirothon
"My passion for agriculture and the environment was cultivated through my involvement with the Envirothon competition in high school. It challenged my knowledge of the natural world around me and helped me to become a more confident public speaker. This lead me to attend NDSU and pursue a degree in soil science. Today, I love my job working as a soil scientist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, a career I would not have even considered without Envirothon.
My experience has even come full circle; I now serve on the North Dakota State Envirothon Committee, provide soils training to high school teams statewide, and act as Head Trail Guide for the state competition. Honestly, I would not be the person I am today without the Envirothon. To anyone interested in participating, I would tell them about what a fun, interactive, and life-changing experience this has been for me, and strongly encourage them to join."
--- Beth Burdolski, Bismarck High School 2008-2011
Envirothon was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my high school career. Being on the team helped instill in me a love of nature and gave me knowledge and skills I still use today. Envirothon fostered my passion for wildlife and the outdoors and helped me choose a career in Zookeeping. Because of Envirothon I now get to care for some incredible animals and get to be their ambassador and share their stories as well as my passion for wildlife with many others. My favorite part of Envirothon was being out on the trails during competition rain, sun, cold, or hot and finally getting to put all the knowledge we learned through the year to practice.
--- Amy Faller, Bismarck High School 2008-2011
"My realization of natural resource management was stimulated by the SW Regional Envirothon Competition in Marshall, Minnesota. What interested me was a day in the outdoors with friends...much better than being in the classroom. The competition opened my eyes to how much I actually knew about our natural resources. Working as a team we learned to encourage each other, specialize in a specific field and how each person provides great value to the team. Another incredible aspect of the Envirothon competition is meeting people from across the region. You meet people during athletic events but are never able to actually meet them. The Envirothon competition provides a great networking opportunity to meet other students and professionals. Today I am a Conservation Programs Biologist for Ducks Unlimited and coordinate the State ND Envirothon Competition.
---Dane Buysse, Redwood Valley High School 2005-2008