HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-05-10, Page 13Wednesday, May 10, 2017 • Signal Star 13
Huron -Perth Envirothon at Maitland Woods in Goderich
On May 2, 35 students
from five Avon Maitland Dis-
trict schools competed in the
annual Huron -Perth Enviro-
thon at the Maitland Woods
in Goderich.
The team from Central
Huron Secondary School
clinched first place and
advances to the provincial
level competition hosted by
Fleming College in Lindsay in
late May. Goderich District
Collegiate Institute's (GDCI)
team was a close second.
Coordinator Erin Dolmage,
Education Technician from the
Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority, explains, "the com-
petition is a one -day event
where students expand and
test their environmental
knowledge and develop their
problem solving, collabora-
don, and critical thinking skills
in an interactive manner.
Each team consists of five
students who collaboratively
conduct hands-on field test-
ing at four eco stations. For-
ests Ontario is the organizer
at the provincial level"
GDCI's fourth year senior,
Katarina Poganatz, says,
"Envirothon opens up oppor-
tunities to learn outside of
Team GDCI presents their demonstration farm plan to the panel of judges. Students presenting, left
to right: Katarina Poganatz, Prerna Shah, Sarah Gowanlock, Curtis Jeffrey and Cam Sjaarda.
school and connect with like-
minded peers and profes-
sionals to study current envi-
ronmental issues:"
Poganatz will study Envi-
ronmental Science at Uni-
versity of Waterloo in the fall.
Teams also prepared an
eight -minute proposal for a
model farm and presented this
plan to judges Bill Creighton
and Klaus Seeger representing
the Huron Stewardship Coun-
cil, and Laurie Little and Ben
VanDieten from the Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority.
Damien Mullin from Lau-
rentian University was Master
of Ceremonies at the event.
Previously, students
trained to study soils, wild-
life, forestry, aquatics, and
sustainable agriculture
organized by Vanni Azzano,
Supervisor of Community
Education, at the Wildwood
Outdoor Education Centre
near St. Mary's on April19.
The event would not be
possible without support
from the Ausable-Bayfield
Conservation Authority,
Goderich Lions Club, Sea -
forth Lions Club, Maitland
Valley Conservation Author-
ity, Perth Stewardship Net-
work, Upper Thames River
Conservation Authority,
Stratford Civic Beautification
and Environmental Aware-
ness Committee, the County
of Huron, and the Huron
Stewardship Council.
CONTINUED > PAGE 17
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Contributed photos
Prerna Shah and Sarah Gowanlock from GDCI measure tree
height using a prism at the forestry ecostation.