Students range judging in pasture

High School Contests

Home Education High School Contests

Envirothon Nebraska logoNebraska Envirothon

The Nebraska Envirothon is an exciting, hands-on competition for high school students in grades 9–12. The Envirothon is more than a competition, it gives students the opportunity to test their knowledge, work as a team, solve real-world environmental challenges, and explore careers in natural resources and environmental science.

Form a Five-Member Team
If you have students who enjoy science, agriculture, the outdoors, or a good challenge, please consider forming a five-member team from your school. We would be glad to provide additional information and help you get started.

At the regional competition, students test their knowledge in these environmental study areas:  Soils, Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife, Range & a Current Environmental Issue. The year's issue is Soil Health Management: Agricultural Principles & Stewardship.  Teams advancing to the state competition also prepare and deliver an oral presentation on a topic selected by the National Conservation Foundation Envirothon Committee.  2027 Envirothon Newsletter

Choose a Regional Contest        Contest Dates & Locations
Teams may compete at any regional Envirothon contest in Nebraska, but each team may participate in only one regional contest per year.

Central Region Envirothon       Invitation & Registration Form
January 21, 2027:  Central Community College, Columbus NE

Nebraska State Envirothon   April 28, 2027:  Calamus Outfitters, Burwell, Nebraska
The Nebraska State Envirothon champions advance to the national competition, where more than 50 teams from the United States, Canada, China, Singapore, and the U.S. Virgin Islands compete for up to $15,000 in scholarships.

National Conservation Foundation Envirothon  July 24–30, 2027:  Emmitsburg, Maryland

Your Central Region Contacts:
Central Platte NRD (308) 385-6282   Brody: brody@cpnrd.org   Marcia: lee@cpnrd.org
Lower Loup NRD (308) 728-3221   Alan: abartels@llnrd.org

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) Foundation is the annual sponsor of the Nebraska Envirothon. NARD Foundation gives $1,500 to the 1st place winning team, $1,000 to 2nd place, and $500 to the third-place team. Each team must use the money to enhance their high school’s Envirothon and natural resources & agriculture programs. The winning team can also use it to help pay their way to the international competition. Each team member on the winning team is also awarded a $500 scholarship by UNL to be used towards a major in the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.

Learn more about the Nebraska Envirothon

Dawson County Envirothon Club at the NCF-Envirothon in Calgary, Alberta, CanadaCongratulations to the Dawson County Envirothon Club! After taking the top spot at the State Envirothon, the team represented Nebraska at the NCF-Envirothon July 20-26, at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  In addition to tests in aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and a current environmental issue, teams prepared a 20-minute presentation on this year’s theme, “Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change.” The 2025 NCF-Envirothon included 50 teams from the U.S., Canada, China. The 2026 NCF-Envirothon was hosted at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, July 19-25, 2026.

Nebraska had a top 10 oral presentation score placing No. 8 with 177.33 points out of 200.
Overall, the team placed 25th with 514.33 points. Top places went to the following:
First: Massachusetts (620.67 pts)   Second: Maryland (619.67 pts)    Third: New York (571.67 pts)

In addition to Nebraska’s NRDs, Nebraska Envirothon sponsors & partners included Izaak Walton League, Farm Credit Services of America, HDR, Houston Engineering, Nebraska Dept of Water, Environment & Energy; Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska FFA Foundation, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources.

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), works with individual districts to protect lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. NRDs are unique to Nebraska, and act as local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect Nebraska’s natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond to local conservation and resource management needs. Learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs at www.nrdnet.org.

State Envirothon Contest

Concordia Lutheran High School Qualifies for International NCF-Envirothon

Nebraska Students’ Natural Resources Knowledge Shines

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Amidst the picturesque Missouri River bluffs in northeastern Nebraska, high school students from across the state met at Ponca State Park for the 32nd annual Nebraska State Envirothon April 24, 2024. Concordia Lutheran High School from Omaha, Nebraska, took home the championship along with $1,500 and will represent Nebraska at the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon in Geneva, New York.

The Envirothon is an environmental education program for high school students that combines classroom learning and outdoor activities. The competition rotates around the state, and this year’s competition was hosted at Ponca State Park near Ponca, Nebraska.

“Envirothon allows students to get outdoors and learn about natural resources in a hands-on environment,” said Martin Graff, Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) president. “The activities are designed to help students become environmentally aware, action-oriented adults, but also exposes them to many exciting career opportunities.”

During the state competition, five-member teams were tested on their knowledge of aquatics, forestry, policy, range, soils and wildlife, as well as prepared and delivered an oral presentation focusing on a current environmental issue. Some of the immersive test questions require students to identify live snakes, measure trees, distinguish range grasses and test water quality.

The 2024 oral presentation theme “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future” challenged teams to propose a solution to a complex problem before a panel of judges. Teams presented as part of a hypothetical design committee whose mission was to evaluate and discuss the benefits and challenges of a proposed hydroelectric power plant.

“Students work together to research the current environmental issue, and consider the hypothetical impacts,” Graff said. “It is important to train students to think critically and problem solve, because they’ll encounter difficult issues in their lives and their future careers.”

The NARD Foundation awarded cash prizes to the top three teams at the state competition:

First Place ($1,500): Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
Second Place ($1,000): St. Paul High School
Third Place ($500): Overton High School
Additional prizes were awarded to the top teams in each testing category:

Aquatics: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
Forestry: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
Policy (Tie): Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha) & Overton High School
Range: Burwell High School
Soils: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
Wildlife: Concordia Lutheran High School (Omaha)
Oral Presentation: St. Paul High School

Sixty-eight teams competed in the regional contests during February and March, and 14 teams qualified to participate in the state competition.

Concordia Lutheran High School will represent Nebraska at the NCF-Envirothon July 28 to Aug. 3, 2024, to compete for a top prize of $15,000. The international NCF-Envirothon will be hosted at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, and include more than 45 teams from the U.S., Canada, China and Singapore.

In addition to Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts, 2024 Nebraska Envirothon sponsors and partners included Farm Credit Services of America, HDR, Houston Engineering, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska FFA Foundation, Smithfield Foods, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources.

Learn more about the Nebraska Envirothon at www.nrdnet.org/nebraska-envirothon

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD), the trade association for Nebraska's 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRD), works with individual districts to protect lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. NRDs are unique to Nebraska, and act as local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect Nebraska’s natural resources. Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond to local conservation and resource management needs. Learn more about Nebraska’s NRDs at www.nrdnet.org.

NCF-Envirothon iNaturalist Project

Engage your students during winter break by getting them back into nature! The NCF-Envirothon iNaturalist project is an exciting distance engagement opportunity designed to help continue the hands-on, experiential learning that is foundational to the Envirothon program. For more information about the project, including how to join, click here!

Land Evaluation - South Central Region

Land Judging is a high school competition that challenges students to gain a better understanding of soil structure and land evaluation. Land Judging enables each participant to learn how to recognize the physical features of the soil, determine land capability for crop production, and evaluate management practices needed for proper stewardship. Soil, land and home-site evaluation provide a setting for students to investigate the soils in their region, the environment that surrounds them and their effect on their daily lives. There are three divisions as part of the contest – students, adults, and professionals.

During the competition, students judge four soil pits using an evaluation card to make assessments on: soil depth, surface texture, permeability, slope, thickness of surface and erosion. Each evaluation card is scored and added together to determine overall scores for individuals and the team. In order to compete in the state contest, teams advance from one of the seven regional competitions hosted across the state in October.

Congratulations to the 2026 Nebraska State Land Judging State Contest Winners!
The Lower Big Blue NRD hosted the State contest on October 14, 2026. 151 students competed from 43 schools.

Team Results           Student Results          Adult Results

Joe Krolikowski, NRCS District Conservationist, gives instructions to contestants in the field.

South Central Region Contest

The South Central Contest is hosted by USDA-NRCS and the Central Platte, Little Blue and Upper Big Blue NRDs.

Heartland High School Takes Top Honors at 2026 South Central Land Evaluation Contest
Heartland High School earned first-place team honors at the 2026 South Central Land Evaluation Contest, held September 30 near Wood River. The winning team included Waylon Tessman, David Hiebner, Luke Janzen and Jagger Regier. Madalyn Janzen, Heartland’s agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor, coached the team and also earned second place in the contest’s adult division.

Students and instructors from 24 high schools participated in the event, hosted by the Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Despite the threat of heavy rainfall and muddy conditions, students completed the contest at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies Preserve. The site provided an ideal range of soil conditions, including soils formed in loess and glacial till, as well as clay loam and silty clay textures.

The Land Evaluation Contest challenges high school students to strengthen their understanding of soil structure, land capability and sound land-management practices. Teams consist of four students from the same FFA chapter, while individual students also compete for individual honors. At four soil pits, participants used evaluation cards to assess soil depth, surface texture, permeability, slope, surface-soil thickness and erosion. Their combined scores determined individual and team placings.

Seven regional land evaluation contests are held across Nebraska each fall. Qualifying teams and individuals advance to the state contest. The CPNRD and NRCS appreciate The Nature Conservancy for providing the contest site, along with the instructors, adult leaders, contest officials and volunteers who helped make the event possible. The top-placing teams and individuals are listed below.

2026 South Central Individual Top Winners   All Individual Rankings
1st Place: WAYLON TESSMAN, Heartland 273 points
2nd Place: DAVID HIEBNER, Heartland 272 points
3rd Place: COLTON SIGLER, Aurora 272 points
4th Place: LANDYN TUMA, Deshler FFA 271 points
5th Place: MAKENNA FREITAG, Deshler FFA points 268

2026 South Central Team Top Winners   All Team Rankings
1st Place: Heartland (Waylan Tessman, David Hiebner, Luke Janzen, Jagger Regier)
2nd Place: Deshler (Landyn Tuma, McKenna Freitag, Marley Webber, Braxton Pederson)
3rd Place: Hampton (Mason Wiens, Bradon Wolinski, Cason Bamesberger, Noah Millier)

2026 South Central Adult Winners   All Adult Rankings
1st Place: Joel Miller, Hampton FFA
2nd Place: Madalyn Janzen, Heartland FFA
3rd Place: Maggie Vyhnalek, Bruning-Davenport FFA

The State contest will be held hosted by the Lower Big Blue NRD on October 14, 2026. The top five Nebraska teams will advance to the national competition hosted in Oklahoma.
For more information on Nebraska Land Judging, visit https://www.nrdnet.org/nebraska-land-judging-soil-evaluation.

Your CPNRD Contact Info
Marcia Lee
(308) 395-7551
lee@cpnrd.org

Brody Vorderstrasse
(308) 395-7590
brody@cpnrd.org