Michigan Envirothon

03/27/2026

Yesterday we had 3 teams from the Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy compete at the Bay City State Park, unfortunately we have not gotten a chance to grade these tests yet, but congratulations to the teams and thank you our volunteers!

03/18/2026

Yesterday was our Region 4 competition at Kalamazoo Nature Center. There were 7 teams and a team of alternates that braved the cold and blowing snow from the far reaches of the region to compete. Special thank you to Barry Conservation District Hastings, Van Buren Conservation District, Kent Conservation District ODC Network's Outdoor Discovery Center, Montcalm Conservation District, MDNR and Kent Conservation District for sending staff to support the event and teach the students.

Our top three teams were:
1st place - Environment Ambassadors
2nd place - Brozone layer
3rd place - Evergreen

Congratulations!

Fun fact: 20 large pizzas was almost not enough food for lunch!

03/12/2026

Another great day for Regional competition here in Lapeer county for Region 5!

Congrats to our top three of seven total teams:
1st place - OSTC AM
2nd place - GCI Sustainability Squad
3rd place - Caro Carbon Crushers

Thank you to our volunteers, like the staff from Lapeer and Tuscola CDs, for making this competition successful, without folks helping, these competitions wouldn't happen, especially the events with higher number of teams.

Also, big thank you to Fish Lake Environmental Education Center for hosting our event!

03/11/2026

We had a great day yesterday at the Region 6 competition and we wanted to take a second to recognize the top teams.

Lenawee 1 took 1st place
Lenawee 2 took 2nd place
Clinton 1 took 3rd and was only behind 2nd by 1/2 of a point.

Congrats to each team, everyone has qualified for the State Competition.

03/10/2026

Today was Regional Competition day for Region 6. Thank you Hidden Lake Gardens for hosting us!

Next week is Region 4’s competition at Kalamazoo Nature Center

12/18/2025

Elusive Cougar Cubs were spotted a second time on a trail in Ontonagon County seemingly doing very well and still living alongside their mother.

Brian Roell, a Wildlife Biologist with MDNR will be discussing Michigan Cougars with our Envirothon Competitors at the State Competition in Marquette. You can read more about these cougar cubs in the DNR News newsletter.

How many of you recall the cougar cubs caught on camera by an individual traveling the back roads of the Upper Peninsula last year? Well, it seems they're still likely alive and well.

A private landowner sent us a trail camera photo of the cougars on December 14. Our large carnivore specialist visited the site on Tuesday and confirmed the location. While the mother was not around during the sighting in March, in this recent trail cam photo you can see her with her older cubs. (the third cougar is in the back, you can see the shiny eyes!)

While cougars are native to Michigan, they were essentially hunted out of the state by the early 1900s. Since 2008, we've confirmed around 170 cougar sightings. These animals require vast territories and can wander great distances in search of large prey and mates.

Cougars are protected in Michigan, and too much human pressure can cause a cougar to abandon her cubs so we ask that people give space.

If you would like to know more about this recent sighting, read the full details at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/4007bc9

10/15/2025

Steve and Patty hosting our Envirothon booth at the MAEOE Conference at beautiful NMU.

08/23/2025

Our final webinar is Monday the 25th at 6pm. Follow the link to register and get your access link. If you’re a parent, Teacher, Principal, 4H leader, Boy Scout Leader or just an adult that works with a group of high school students that may be interested in Envirothon, then this is your chance to learn more and ask questions.

We’re excited to invite you to join the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) and the Michigan Envirothon team for an upcoming informational webinar! Whether you’re a returning advisor or new to Envirothon, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the program, updates for....

08/11/2025

Interested in learning more about Envirothon or how to get involved?

We have 2 informational webinars coming up this month.

8/14/25 at 4pm
8/25/25 at 6pm

Follow the link to register.

We’re excited to invite you to join the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) and the Michigan Envirothon team for an upcoming informational webinar! Whether you’re a returning advisor or new to Envirothon, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the program, updates for....

05/21/2025

We had a great time hosting the 12 teams that competed this year at Western Michigan University. The weather was beautiful aside from the tornado warning Thursday night (a Michigan Envirothon first) and campus was amazing.

Thank you to WMU for hosting, thanks to the teams and the advisors that helped the teams prepare, and a very big thank you to our volunteers who ran the testing sites, taught study sessions, graded tests and judged team presentations. This awesome program would not happen without everyone helping out.

05/19/2025

Twelve teams competed at the Michigan Envirothon Competition held last week at Western Michigan University. The top placing team, St. Clair RESA, Pine River Nature Center Clever Coyotes, will have the opportunity to represent Michigan at the NCF Envirothon International Competition this summer.

Congratulations to the students who participated and thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this year's competition a HUGE Success!