New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball extended his congratulations to over 200 students who participated in the 2025 New York State Envirothon. The event took place at SUNY Cortland on May 28-29, where students engaged in a hands-on environmental competition covering topics such as soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and an emerging issue titled “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.”
Commissioner Ball stated, “With climate change continuing to impact us all, it has never been more inspiring to have our young people be so engaged and passionate about the environment. The annual Envirothon competition provides a unique opportunity for our students to put their education to the test through hands-on experiments and helps shine the spotlight on the critical importance of preserving our natural resources. I congratulate our New York teams and our winners and wish them all the best of luck moving forward.”
The Mount Academy team from Ulster County emerged as the New York State Champion at this longstanding competition that tests students’ knowledge in natural resource science, public speaking, and civic engagement. Hudson High from Columbia County secured second place while Skaneateles High School in Onondaga County and Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County tied for third.
The victorious team from The Mount Academy will represent New York State at the International NCF-Envirothon this summer in Alberta, Canada. Team members received scholarships and will compete against other top teams from countries including the United States, China, Singapore, and Canada.
The NCF-Envirothon involves field station tests across areas like soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, along with an emerging environmental issue. Students demonstrate their knowledge through written tests and interactive stations during this week-long event. They also prepare oral presentations on this year’s theme: “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.”
In total, 39 teams from across New York State participated in environmental science and natural resource management challenges during the two-day state-level competition. Teams consisted of five students each from grades 9 through 12 who qualified via regional or local contests.
Caitlin Stewart, President of Conservation District Employees’ Association remarked on the event’s impact: “The spirit of competition stimulates students’ interests in environmental concerns and motivates them to further develop their skills and grow into environmentally aware, action-oriented adults. I had the absolute pleasure of judging the top three oral presentations…They met a challenging topic with preparedness, humor, and intelligence.”
The 2025 Envirothon was supported by sponsors such as GM-General Motors; Alfred Z Solomon Charitable Trust; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; NYS Ag & Markets-Division of Land & Water Resources; among others.
###
