Departments Congratulates 2025 Envirothon Participants

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today congratulated the over 200 students that participated in the 2025 New York State Envirothon. Students from across the state traveled to SUNY Cortland on May 28-29 to participate in the two-day hands-on environmental competition focused on topic areas such as: soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and an emerging environmental issue: Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.

Commissioner Ball said, “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.”

Commissioner Ball additionally congratulated the student winners of the annual New York State Envirothon Competition. The team from The Mount Academy in Ulster County was named New York State Champion at the long-standing hands-on environmental competition, which challenges students on their knowledge of natural resource science, public speaking, and civic engagement. Hudson High from Columbia County took second place and Skaneateles High School in Onondaga County and Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County tied for third place.

The winning team from The Mount Academy will travel to the International NCF-Envirothon to represent New York State this summer in Alberta, Canada. Each member of the team received a scholarship, and the team will compete against other top teams from the United States, China, Singapore, and Canada.

The NCF-Envirothon competition is a series of field station tests in the areas of soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and an emerging environmental issue. Throughout the week-long competition, students demonstrate their knowledge in these areas through written tests and interactive stations. The teams also prepared oral presentations on this year’s current issue, “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.”

In the New York State Envirothon, 39 teams from across New York State competed in environmental science and natural resource management written and oral tests during the two-day competition. The teams, made up of five students from grades 9 through 12, qualified at the regional or local level to receive invitations to the state competition.

Conservation District Employees' Association President Caitlin Stewart said, “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, and it was exciting to see students communicate their research on this year’s current issue topic Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change before an audience of hundreds of other high school students, advisors, and volunteers.  They met a challenging topic with preparedness, humor, and intelligence.  I can’t help but smile when I think how these students are destined to impact natural resource conservation in the future.”

The 2025 New York State Envirothon was made possible through the contributions of several sponsors and partnering agencies, including the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and its Division of Land and Water Resources. Many federal and state environmental agencies, County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and higher education institutions provided expertise and helped to organize the event.

About the New York State Envirothon

The New York State Envirothon is coordinated by the New York State Envirothon Committee consisting of members of the New York State Conservation District Employees Association, New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, and volunteers. The program services hundreds of high school students throughout New York State and the five city boroughs. Winning teams from regional and county Envirothon competitions advance to the state level and then to the International NCF-Envirothon, earning awards and scholarships at each level. The program is funded from contributions and grants from individuals, businesses, and organizations. Contributions are tax deductible through the New York State Environmental Education Foundation, and a portion of all contributions go towards the program. Additional information about the program and sponsorship opportunities can be found at www.nysenvirothon.net.

Sponsors of the 2025 New York State Envirothon include:

• GM- General Motors
• Alfred Z Solomon Charitable Trust
• New York State Outdoor Education
• Norton’s Gas
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• NYS Association of Conservation Districts
• NYS Conservation District Employees’ Association, Inc.
• NYS Ag and Markets- Division of Land and Water Resources - Soil and Water Conservation Committee
• Fage USA Dairy Industry, Inc
• NYCM Insurance
• Northeast Region Certified Crop Advisor Program
• Agri Mark | Cabot Creamery | McCadam
• Cornell University - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Department of Food Science
• The New York Chip Company
• Chobani Inc.
• The Water Bottle Inc.
• Susan Odell-Pepe Suffolk County Soil & Water Conservation District