Students compete in natural resource contest

About 200 high school students from nine area counties visited Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook Tuesday to compete in the Northeastern Illinois Envirothon.

The natural resource competition demands that students match wits with their peers in problem-solving challenges, while increasing their understanding of the environment.

Students from DuPage, Cook, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb, Boone and Winnebago counties spent the afternoon testing forestry, soils, aquatics and wildlife in environmental issues such as wetlands management, groundwater and alternative energy.

The five-member teams went head-to-head for a chance to enter the state competition in early May.

The winner's of Tuesday's event were students from Rolling Meadows High School: Alyssa Arwady, Kyle Klein, Nate Harman, Julie Fry, Gordana Rasic and coach Laine Gurley.

Although scores ran very close in forestry, wildlife and current issue presentations, Envirothon organizers said the Rolling Meadows team pulled ahead with outstanding scores in soils and aquatics.

"Winning attitudes, team work, invested advisers and putting in the study time are absolutely always the main factors in an Envirothon team's success," said Tonya Canania of the North Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District.

If the Rolling Meadows team wins next month, they will qualify for the international competition July 28 to Aug. 3 at Northern Arizona University, where teams representing more than 40 states and eight provinces are expected to participate.

North Cook County Soil & Water Conservation District helped organize Tuesday's local Envirothon in Oak Brook, along with businesses like Enbridge, an energy transportation company.