CHENANGO COUNTY – On April 18, twenty-six teams of high school students from Madison, Chenango, Cayuga and Onondaga counties assembled at the Friends of Rogers Center to participate in the Central New York Regional Envirothon. Despite the frigid temperatures, students from Bainbridge-Guilford High School, Skaneateles High School, Weedsport High School, and Chittenango High School had high scores for the event.

The Didgeridoods, from Bainbridge-Guilford, finished with a total score of 437.75 and will progress to the State Envirothon competition held at Hobart William Smith College in May. There, the Didgeridoods will face close to 50 Envirothon teams to compete for college scholarships and the opportunity to compete in the national competition in Idaho.

The Envirothon is an environmental education program that is centered on five universal categories; soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry and wildlife. Additionally, every year a different current environmental issue is selected, and a test is based upon that issue. This year, the current environmental issue was “Rangeland Management” and was quite difficult for participants. Each of the categories had a station dotted across the trails at Rogers where the students were tested on core principles. The Friends of Rogers Center is a perfect place to hold the event as it features a vast trail system, a great volunteer network, and an inviting visitor’s center.