With the metro-area competition to be held May 7, the BSM Envirothon team has already begun practicing in hopes of being fully prepared to score well in all six areas of the Envirothon. This year’s team roster has not yet been finalized, but six students, seniors Maria Dzurik, Alyssa Schik, Erica Qualheim, Annie Huber, Kari Boesch, and junior Ryan Morissey, make up the team at the moment.

“I joined the team because I thought that the event would be really fun, especially since I would be spending time with my friends,” said senior Alyssa Schik. The members of the team are hoping to have a great time while encouraging people to improve the environment. “It will be fun to hang out with friends and save the world at the same time,” said senior Annie Huber with a laugh.

According to the head of the BSM Envirothon team, Mr. Mark Lex, each team must complete five stations by answering questions in a packet, ranging from multiple choice to wildlife or tree identification questions, and then at the sixth station, each team has to give an oral presentation.

At the event, the team also has to solve a problem, given to them in advance, and present a solution. This year’s question is a hypothetical situation in which someone proposed flood control measures for a town and a team of county biologists, or members of the Envirothon, have to see how it could effect biodiversity, said Mr. Lex. The teams have to look at all the different areas of the Envirothon including wildlife, aquatics, forestry, and soils and determine what effects the flood control could have on these different areas.

“Mostly the students study on their own, but for practice there are different areas we study,” said Mr. Lex, “and if, for instance, we were doing wetland practice we would review different kinds of bugs that are in the water that they will have to identify.” If the BSM teams score well and place in the top two at the regional competition, they will move on to state, which will be held May 18.