Westmoreland Envirothon puts emphasis on forest stewardship, bird research

Westmoreland Conservation District staff definitely picked the right day this week to study the environment with high school senior Tim Miller and his fellow Derry Area students.

While spring in Southwestern Pennsylvania can be a weather Jekyll and Hyde, Thursday, April 24, couldn’t have been nicer, with sunny skies and a high temperature near 80 at Twin Lakes Park, east of Greensburg.

“I really like conservation work, and it’s great to see students out in nature,” said Miller, 18, whose high school team competed in the annual Envirothon hosted by the Westmoreland Conservation District. Miller’s team won the county competition in 2024 and topped it with a repeat win this year.

Miller and other team members were enjoying a warm, sunny morning as they washed mud off their hands, having completed the Envirothon’s soil station.

Ten teams took part in hands-on activities and written tests on soil and land use, aquatic ecology, wildlife and this year’s specific environmental issue: forest stewardship in a changing climate.

This year, they also learned about regional bird research conducted by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve. One of the stations had students use binoculars to spot mock-ups of birds along a distant treeline and try to identify them.

“A lot of the teams work very hard and you can see it in their reactions when we announce the winners,” said Jen Novak, the conservation district’s education programs coordinator.

Alison Bresnahan, adviser for Kiski Area’s Envirothon students, said her team is a mix of students who have taken her environmental science class and those who’ve enrolled in the high school’s Environmental Club.

“The Envirothon is a real-world application for what they learn in an academic setting,” Bresnahan said. “And it’s cool to be surrounded by people who appreciate the environment and the science involved in studying it.”

Noah Schultz, Kiski’s Environmental Club adviser, said teams also have a uniquely captivating setting in which to study.

“We live in such a beautiful area of the country, and the kids are able to see how they can contribute to keeping it that way,” he said.

Kiski Area junior Kailyn Magalich, 17, took Bresnahan’s AP environmental science class and joined the Environmental Club this year.

“I want to go into environmental science as a career,” Magalich said. “This is a great way to get more experience, and next year I’m going to take Mrs. Bresnahan’s field studies class.”

Derry Area will move on to the statewide competition May 21 at Windber Park in Somerset County.