New Castle Conservation District
"Dedicated to Soil
and Water Management"
Delaware Envirothon
The Delaware Envirothon, sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, is used to instruct high school students statewide in conservation methods, promote the conservation message, and highlight potential career choices to students.
Teams of five students compete in different environmental challenges in the areas of:
aquatic ecology
soil/land use
forestry
wildlife
air quality
public speaking
a current environmental topics (a different one each year)
For more information and program specifics, visit www.delawareenvirothon.org.
2026 Delaware Envirothon
This year, nine high schools and one 4-H club set a Delaware Envirothon record in fielding a total of 23 teams. The competition was held at Sussex Academy in Georgetown. Each team answered questions, reviewed environmental specimens, and took measurements in topics involving aquatic ecology, soils/land use, wildlife, forestry and the current environmental issue of “Nonpoint Source Pollution Mitigation.” Teams also were required to give a seven- to 10-minute oral presentation of a scenario based on the current issue.
Congratulations to Odessa High School FFA and Agriscience on winning First Place in the 2026 Delaware Envirothon!
Winner of the 2026 Delaware Envirothon for the second year in a row is the Odessa High School FFA and Agriscience Team. Team members are, left to right, Keith Schmid, Luke Brown, Nate Sutton, Faith Downs, and Zachary Binnie. /DNREC photo
The official results for the state competition are as follows:
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First place – Odessa High School, Odessa FFA & Agriscience
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Second place – The Charter School of Wilmington, CSW Natural Logs
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Third place – The Charter School of Wilmington, CSW Square Roots
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Fourth place – Newark Charter Senior High School, NCHS EcoManiacs
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Fifth place – The Charter School of Wilmington, CSW Pi-ne Trees
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Sixth place – MOT Charter School, MOT Charter Dragonflies
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Seventh place – Polytech High School, Polytech Mealybugs
Each member of the winning team earned a $500 college scholarship from the Delaware Envirothon and the team will receive an award plaque for their school. The second through seventh place teams received ribbons and cash prizes in the form of gift cards. The first-place team will represent Delaware at the 2026 National Conservation Foundation (NCF) International Envirothon to be held in Mississippi from July 19-25, 2025.
The Delaware Envirothon is hosted by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), a voluntary, non-profit association that coordinates conservation efforts statewide to focus on natural resource issues identified by Delaware’s three local districts.
In addition to DNREC, major sponsors include the Delaware Solid Waste Authority, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Sussex Conservation District, the Kent Conservation District, and the New Castle Conservation District, along with many other smaller donors.