Seneca East FFA competes in Ohio State Envirothon

TIFFIN — Seneca East FFA's Envirothon team participated in the state competition June 1-3 at Franciscan University of Steubenville. The Envirothon is an annual program offered by Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and is an outdoor challenge for high school students aged 14-19 to test knowledge in soils, aquatics, forestry and wildlife. The contest is designed to stimulate, reinforce and enhance students' interest in the environment and natural resources while encouraging cooperative decision-making and team-building. Seneca Conservation District's Board of Supervisors sponsored the Seneca East FFA team. The board sponsored five local teams that competed in this year's Area 1 Envirothon and continued to sponsor Seneca East FFA once the team qualified for the state Envirothon. The Seneca East team is coached by FFA Adviser Milan Pozderac and team members are Captain Addy Dawson, Dylan Baker, Logan Drown, Ethan Mullet and Logan Snavely. Pozderac was himself a past Envirothon competitor. He spoke of his time as a part of the competition, saying it was an invaluable experience that introduced him to real-world environmental issues and provided opportunities to explore them in greater depth. As a coach, he sees that same value reflected in his students. "Envirothon allows them to investigate potential career paths, connect with industry professionals, and gain firsthand exposure to environmental and natural resource fields," Pozderac said. "Of the five students on my team, three plan to pursue careers within the Environmental and Natural Resources pathway. It is rewarding to see how this competition has helped prepare them for the next stage of their education and future careers." Also attending the state Envirothon was Outreach Coordinator Jill Gosche, serving as an event photographer and team assistant for presentation preparation. Gosche worked as a "team buddy," which were non-biased chaperones who were there to help with any technology issues and were not assigned to teams from their own counties. "That experience provided me a glimpse into how much teams had prepared for the Envirothon, how passionate they are about the experience and all it has to offer, and how much hard work it took to get there. Being around so many talented and passionate young people, their advisers and other soil and water conservation professionals was refreshing and inspiring on many levels," said Gosche. The theme for this year's Ohio State Envirothon was "Non-Point Source Pollution: It begins at home!" The theme focused on the environmental impacts of pollution that comes from diffuse sources such as stormwater runoff, agricultural chemicals, and urban runoff, and how it begins at the household level. Students were expected to explore how everyday activities and land use practices contribute to this type of pollution and brainstorm ways to reduce it. Seneca East FFA advanced to the state competition by placing fourth in the 32-team field at the Area 1 Envirothon at Williams County Conservation Club in April. Students competing in the contest gave presentations focused on a scenario. They had four hours to prepare for the 5-minute presentation they delivered to three judges. Seneca East FFA's team won the Reeves Rookies Award, which is an honor given at the State Envirothon to recognize outstanding performance by a team that has not previously placed in the state contest, celebrating emerging talents in environmental science; their efforts were rewarded with a $100 check for the team. The students also placed second in the soils contest. Lynchburg-Clay Gold won first place and a spot in the national Envirothon competition in Mississippi. Watkins Warriors placed second, and Miami Valley Career Technology Center placed third.