Mouse River Loop Envirothon held at refuge
Submitted Photo Nedrose Eco Maniacs members finished first in the Mouse River Loop Envirothon and are eligible for state competition. From left are DeClan Menahan, Aaliyah Shriver, Sibelle Diri, Eleazer Ampong and Arion Robinson.
Submitted Photo MLS Guardians of the Green members who finished second at the Mouse River Loop Envirothon and are eligible for state competition are, from left, Aiden Getty, Juliana Bohm, Lenee Volker, Adam Copeland and Jacob Eide.
Submitted Photo Bowbells Rocking Rhinos members who finished third in the Mouse River Loop Envirothon and are eligible for state competition are, from left, Arianna Martinez, Addi Peterson, Kelbi Sieme and Lanie Kersey.
Submitted Photo Nedrose Eco Maniacs members finished first in the Mouse River Loop Envirothon and are eligible for state competition. From left are DeClan Menahan, Aaliyah Shriver, Sibelle Diri, Eleazer Ampong and Arion Robinson.
Submitted Photo MLS Guardians of the Green members who finished second at the Mouse River Loop Envirothon and are eligible for state competition are, from left, Aiden Getty, Juliana Bohm, Lenee Volker, Adam Copeland and Jacob Eide.
Submitted Photo Bowbells Rocking Rhinos members who finished third in the Mouse River Loop Envirothon and are eligible for state competition are, from left, Arianna Martinez, Addi Peterson, Kelbi Sieme and Lanie Kersey.
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CARPIO - The Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge hosted the 24th Annual Mouse River Loop Envirothon (MRLE) contest on Sept. 23. Seventy-five students from Nedrose, MLS Mohall, Bishop Ryan, Stanley, Burke Central and Bowbells participated in the event at Lake Darling.
The 15 teams of four to six high school students began their day with the Trail Test on walking paths around the refuge shop. The students and their trail guides visited 20 sites, where they answered questions on aquatics, soils, wildlife, forestry and prairie/range topics. Test your knowledge with one of the Trail Test questions: Give the offspring names of the following animals: Moose and Bat (Answer at the end of the article).
The groups listened to Brandon Bock, area regenerative farmer, speak on soil health management practices, which relates to the Current Issue topic chosen for the 2027 national Envirothon competition in Maryland. The students then worked as a group to prepare a 10-minute presentation on the topic.
In the afternoon, teams gave their oral presentations to the judges. When not presenting, students visited stations that included a soil demonstration from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a water quality demonstration from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, a talk on waterfowl with North Dakota Game and Fish and archery practice with the Berthold Sportsmen.
The team results were calculated through a combination of the Trail Test results and the oral presentation scores from the judges. The winners of the 2025 Mouse River Loop Envirothon were: first, Nedrose Eco Maniacs, adviser JoAnn Schapp; second, MLS Guardians of the Green, adviser Shannon Grondahl; third, Bowbells Rocking Rhinos, adviser Natalie Cerise. The top three teams will attend the North Dakota State Envirothon at Crystal Springs in May 2027.
The Mouse River Loop Envirothon is planned and run by a committee of personnel from Burke, Renville, and Ward County Soil Conservation Districts, Natural Resources Conservation Service, North Dakota State University Extension and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Envirothon is a problem-solving natural resource competition for high school students that is held across North America. Envirothon places an emphasis on hands-on learning and real-world application of outdoor skills and knowledge.
And finally, the answer to the Trail Test question: Moose-calf, Bat-pup.