Rice County Students Excel at Southeast Minnesota Envirothon

Students from across southeastern Minnesota gathered this spring at the Byron Sportsmen & Conservation Club near Byron, Minnesota to compete in the annual Southeast Minnesota Envirothon. Despite cool and cloudy weather conditions, more than 150 middle school and high school students participated in the outdoor environmental competition focused on conservation and natural resources.

Hosted by the Southeast Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SEMASWCD), the Envirothon has provided hands-on environmental education opportunities for students throughout the eleven-county region for more than three decades.

The Envirothon challenges students through a series of interactive learning stations covering soils, wildlife, forestry, water resources, and a current environmental issue topic. Resource professionals lead each station, providing presentations and administering tests that evaluate students’ understanding of environmental science and conservation practices.

Students examine a soil core and determine soil texture during the 2026 Southeast Minnesota Envirothon.

Students completed both written and hands-on activities throughout the competition. Participants identified tree species, evaluated soil texture, interpreted resource maps, and applied critical thinking skills to real-world environmental scenarios. High school teams also delivered oral presentations to a panel of judges as part of the competition.

“This year’s Envirothon once again highlighted the enthusiasm and knowledge students have for conservation and natural resources,” said Teresa DeMars of the Rice Soil and Water Conservation District. “Rice County had outstanding participation at this year’s competition, with all twelve participating teams representing Northfield, including eleven middle school teams and one high school team. It was the largest county representation at the event and showed the strong interest local students have in environmental education and STEM-related careers.”

Northfield High School placed ninth overall out of fifteen high school teams competing in the event. In the middle school division, Northfield Team 1 earned third place, Team 3 finished in second place, and Team 8 captured first place overall out of sixteen teams.

Students from Northfield Middle School won first-place team for the middle school division at the 2026 Southeast Minnesota Envirothon. From left to right: Noah Grawe, Zenio Dennison, James Whited, Oscar Huyck, and Robert Steed.

Goodhue High School swept the high school division, earning first, second, and third place honors. Those teams advanced to the state Envirothon competition held at the Oliver Kelley Farm near Elk River, Minnesota.