Regional Envirothon events are held at several locations to make travel and timing more convenient for schools. Teams may register for whichever regional date and location works best for them. Piscataquis County falls in the Central Region, and that event will be hosted by the Somerset County Soil & Water Conservation District on May 17 at Lake George State Park in Skowhegan. A Mock Envirothon, where students can hone their skills before the main event, will be hosted by the Penobscot County Soil & Water Conservation District on April 26 at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. The Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, which hosted the 2005 event, will assist with both of these competitions.

At an Envirothon, students will be tested by natural resource rofessionals at five subject stations; current issues, wildlife, aquatics, forestry and soils science. Judges volunteering their time for this hands-on, outdoor competition come from a number of natural resource-based agencies in addition to conservation districts, including the Department of Environmental Protection, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Advisors do not need to have an environmental studies background because resource packets detailing all of the information that must be learned are sent to each team that registers. All that is needed is a responsible adult willing to facilitate regular study meetings for the team and to travel with them to the events.

Envirothon meets the criteria of the Maine Learning Results. Students who participate and then go on to the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture at UMO are considered for a $2,000 scholarship.

Winning teams will receive trophies for their school and go on to compete in the Maine Envirothon at McDougal's Orchard in Springvale on May 24. State winners will represent Maine at the 2006 Canon Envirothon on July 23 - 29 at the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

For more information about becoming an Envirothon team advisor, contact the Piscataquis County SWCD at 564-2321, ext. 3 or e-mail tish carr at journeysendfarm@adelphia.net.