Ravenswood FFA took first place in the 2023 WV Envirothon for the second consecutive year. From left are: WV Envirothon Committee member Shirley Hyre; team members Grace Fellure, Isaac Lane, Issiah Border, Harold Miihlbach and Garrett Delong; advisor Jessica Conger, and Kari Brown. (Photo Provided)

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Ravenswood FFA won first place in the West Virginia Envirothon for the second consecutive year Friday at Cacapon Resort State Park.

Teams from Parkersburg High School and Doddridge County also finished in the top 10.

The five-member team from Ravenswood included Garrett Delong, Harold Miihlbach, Grace Fellure, Isaac Lane and Issiah Border.

The team shares a $5,000 scholarship and will next participate in the international NCF-Envirothon competition at Mount Allison University in Tantramar, New Brunswick, Canada, from July 23-29.

High school students from across West Virginia on Thursday and Friday competed in the best-attended West Virginia Envirothon event in many years.

Five-member teams who participate in the Envirothon explored current environmental and earth sciences within the framework of five disciplines: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a current environmental topic known as the “fifth topic.”

The Clay FFA Blue team took second place, and will share a $4,000 scholarship, Moorefield High School Gold came in third place for $3,000, Mineral FFA was fourth for $2,000 and Eco Defenders from Morgan County came in fifth place, earning a $1,500 scholarship.

Rounding out the top 10 were, in sixth through 10th place, respectively: Clay FFA Gold, Berry’s Hellbenders of PHS, Doddridge FFA, The Fungi’s of Jefferson High School and the Mavericks Purple team of James Monroe High School.

Teams also won $500 for scoring highest in each of the five “stations.” Ravenswood FFA scored highest in both the aquatics and fifth topic. Clay FFA Blue won the forestry station, Mineral County FFA scored highest in soils, and Eco Defenders had the highest score at the wildlife station.

Ravenswood also was the highest-placing FFA team.

This year’s fifth topic scenario was “Adapting to a Changing Climate.” Students developed a proposal for an agricultural, forestry, natural resource or outdoor recreation business or nonprofit. The teams incorporated practices and strategies in their organizational design meant to increase climate resilience and reduce their climate impact.

Students also were tested on their skills, problem-solving abilities and knowledge about natural resources, conservation and the environment.

Teams participated from Braxton, Clay, Doddridge, Hampshire, Hardy, Jackson, Jefferson, Marion, Mineral, Monroe, Morgan, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Roane, Tyler, Upshur, Webster, Wetzel, Wood and Wyoming counties. In all, 30 teams and two alternate teams participated.

Sponsors for the West Virginia Envirothon include the Weyerhaeuser Foundation, Berkshire Hathaway Energy Gas Transmission and Storage, the West Virginia Conservation Agency, the Elk Conservation District, the Northern Panhandle Conservation District, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, the EQT Foundation, the Oakland Foundation, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the West Virginia Department of Education.

Numerous volunteers make up the West Virginia Envirothon Committee, which includes representatives from the West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts, the West Virginia Division of Forestry, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, the West Virginia Conservation Agency, USDA-NRCS and several of the state’s 14 conservation districts.