Delaware Team Takes Top Honors At 2008 Canon Envirothon

Teams from 45 States and Nine Provinces Competed in One of North America’s Largest High School Environmental Education Competitions

A five-member team of high school students from Charter School of Wilmington in Wilmington, Delaware, is the winner of the 2008 Canon Envirothon. The winning team was announced on Saturday, August 2nd, during the closing ceremony of the weeklong North American environmental education competition held at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz, and sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc.

More than 265 teenagers from 45 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces studied environmental issues and resource conservation, while competing for a share of more than $125,000 in scholarships and Canon products.

The first place Delaware team received a total of $25,000 in Canon scholarships along with Canon video equipment for their advisor and sponsoring agency/organizations to use in science education. Parkway North High School in St. Louis, Missouri, ($20,000), and the Penncrest High School in Sanatoga, Pennsylvania, ($15,000), placed second and third, respectively. The fourth place team, Candor High School in Candor, New York, received $10,000. The fifth place team, Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio, received $7,500. The list of schools/organizations finishing in the top 10 appears at the end of this announcement.

The National Association of Conservation Districts in the U.S., the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A) Forest Service and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, are Canon Envirothon partners.

The Canon Envirothon tests teams on their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and a current environmental issue. The issue for this year’s competition was Recreational Impacts on Natural Resources. The competing teams focused on long-term and short-term environmental, social and economic factors relative to recreational impacts upon natural resources and their management.

“Canon would like to commend all of the teams participating in this year’s competition,” said Emily Reynolds, vice president and general manager, Corporate Communications, Canon U.S.A. "Witnessing their dedication to helping preserve North America’s most valuable resources for future generations is truly inspiring.

“Decisions about the preservation of our natural resources will shape the future of our planet, and the students competing here at the Canon Envirothon will have a direct hand in determining how we will use those resources in years to come,” concluded Reynolds.

Since 1997, Canon U.S.A. has been a sponsor of this annual competition. The Canon Envirothon is the culmination of a series of competitions that began during the past school year and involved more than 500,000 teenagers throughout North America. In written tests and oral presentations, starting on the local level, winning five-member teams from schools and organizations competed for the distinction of representing their state, province or territory at the Canon Envirothon.

Each team’s knowledge is tested under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists, wildlife specialists and other natural resource professionals. Teamwork, problem solving and presentation skills are evaluated as each team offers a panel of judges an oral presentation containing recommendations for solving the specific challenge that is presented during the competition.

The 2009 competition will be held at the University of North Carolina in Asheville, North Carolina, August 2nd through August 8th, 2009.

In addition to the Canon Envirothon, Canon U.S.A. supports a wide range of environmental education and youth programs including, the PBS Nature series; programs at Yellowstone National Park; and many additional local programs. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com/environment.