Envirothon Study Resources

The Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon program is a natural resource competition for high school students. To learn more about the Envirothon program visit our program page or National Conservation Foundation- Envirothon page. 

Please Note:
In an effort to make the Learning Objectives as comprehensive as possible, the overall number of items for each area of study may be quite long! It is important to note, that not every learning objective listed will be used for every competition. These Learning Objectives serve as an overview of the types of knowledge and skills expected of students for the Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon program and  NCF-Envirothon international level of competition.

Each resource supports the Envirothon learning objectives and information from these items is therefore subject to inclusion on the competition test.  Current issue/Oral presentation problem resources and other station resources are updated on a regular basis.   

The following links and resources are shared to assist Envirothon teams in studying and preparing for the competition. Each area of study is divided into several different key topics, which vary from subject to subject. Underneath these key topics, you will find relevant learning objectives applicable to that topic for the level of testing expected at the  Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon and NCF-Envirothon annual international competition-level testing.

**In Feb 2021, NCF-Envirothon adopted new Station Guidelines and Virginia will use these guidelines starting in the 2021-2022 program year.

Online Training Resources 

Areas of Study-

Current Issue: Roots and Resilience: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change

Updated September 2024

The Current Issue is determined by the State/Province hosting the NCF-Envirothon Competition. Calgary, Alberta, Canada is hosting the 2025 NCF-Envirothon Program, and choose the topic of the current issue and the below key topics.

The link above shows all learning objectives for each of the key topics.

The Key Topics are listed below in a Table of Contents with links to each resource provided by NCF. To download the entire resource guide created by NCF and Alberta, click HERE.

For the Virginia competitions: ONLY Key Topics #1-5 will be used in testing. Key Topic #6 will not be tested on, however, students should still follow the learning objectives linked above for a better guide on what to study. All resources are listed for context, but only those applicable to Virginia will be used. Virginia-specific resources on climate change, forests, and Indigenous tribes can be found below.

Key Topic #1: Climate Change Projections

Key Topic #2: Forest Health in a Changing Climate

Key Topic #3: Inherent Rights of Indigenous Peoples to Land Stewardship

Key Topic #4: Vulnerability Assessments and Adaptation Strategies

Key Topic #5: Legislation and Regulations

Key Topic #6: The Boreal Forest **

Additional Information: Virginia

Aquatics Ecology Learning Objectives

Aquatics Study Guide – Posted September 2023

Forestry Learning Objectives

Forestry Study Guide – Posted February 2024

Soils Learning Objectives

Soils Study Guide – Posted February 2024

Wildlife Learning Objectives

Wildlife Study Guide – Posted February 2024

Reach out to byron.minson@vaswcd.org with any questions.