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Hampton - With Envirothon, the provincial science competition, rapidly approaching, Dalhousie Regional High School's Envirothon team closed its books and ventured to the woods to learn about trees, soil and wildlife first hand.

Chris Dickie, INFORÕs manager of extension services, offers tips on identifying trees, to the Dalhousie Regional High School Envirothon team. Left to right: Chris Dickie, forester; Keshia Moffat ( green jacket), student; Jeff Clark (in back), teacher; Raven Labillois, student; Mary Thow, chaperone; Stacie McLean, student; (missing or hidden) is Olivia Tremblay and Maydson Williams.

The Dalhousie students joined groups from Rothesay, Stanley, Harrison Trimble, Mathieu-Martin, Oromocto and Sussex Regional High Schools for a day-long workshop at Elmhurst Outdoors, an outdoor education and recreation facility in southern New Brunswick near Hampton.

This is the first time a team from Dalhousie has entered the annual competition which tests students' knowledge of soils, aquatics, wildlife, forestry and a fifth subject which changes each year. For this spring's Envirothon, they have been asked to learn about recreational impacts on natural resources in New Brunswick. Schools have been preparing all year for the competition which will take place in Edmundston, May 22, 23, and 24.

Team members Olivia Tremblay, Raven Labillois, Stacie MacLean, Keshia Moffat and Madyson Williams, along with teachers Jeff Clark and Mike Soucy and chaperone Mary Thow travelled to the April 14 workshop hosted by Fundy Model Forest, an organization dedicated to assisting forest-based communities.

Forestry professionals from the Fundy Model Forest, NB Department of Natural Resources (Hampton), Southern NB Wood Co-operative, INFOR Inc., and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada led the students on an interpretative tour through the woodlot, showing them how to identify trees and how to use tools such as a diameter tape and increment bore to determine the growth and age of trees. They also discussed basic forest ecosystem and management concepts with the teams. The afternoon was devoted to presentations on soils and wildlife.

The Fundy Model Forest workshop is one of several presented throughout the year in various locations around the province. Envirothon offers both in-class curriculum and hands-on field experiences focused around ecology, natural resource management, and current environmental issues.

Sixteen teams are preparing for the Edmundston event. The provincial Envirothon champion will compete at Canon Envirothon 2008, a North American competition taking place in Flagstaff, Arizona.