Long Island Regional Envirothon Rules and Regulations

 

 

 

General

 

  1. English shall be the official language of the Long Island Envirothon. All written (field) tests and oral presentation scenarios shall be in English.
     
  2. Students in grade levels 9 through 12 may participate. Student teams may be formed from a high school, BOCES, 4-H club, FFA club, members of sovereign Native American Nations schools, home schools, or any other sanctioned local, regional, state, or nationally recognized club that sponsors youth in grades 9-12. All team members must represent the same educational unit.
     
  3. Home Education students may form their own team specifically for participation in the Long Island Envirothon, and they must petition their county conservation district for recognition to participate in an Envirothon event. All team members must participate in the same county event in order to participate at the state level (no all-star teams). How Home Education teams are organized to participate in a county Envirothon event is at the discretion of the County Conservation District or a NY Envirothon Committee approved sponsoring organization.
     
  4. A team will consist of a minimum of four (4) members and a maximum of five (5) members to compete in the Long Island Envirothon. An alternate may be utilized if a regular team member cannot participate. The alternate must represent the same educational unit as the team. Teams will be responsible for additional costs for this person. In the event the winning team is comprised of four (4) members with no alternate available, the next highest scoring team that meets the following requirements will advance to the NYS-Envirothon event. Once the County/Regional Envirothon competitions have taken place and winners identified, the teams representing their respective counties are prohibited from visiting the site of the NYS Envirothon competition.
     
  5. In the event the winning County team cannot compete in the State competition, then the second-place team from that county shall be allowed to enter the competition as long as the New York State Envirothon rules are met.
     
  6. Each team must be accompanied at the competition by at least one advisor. The Long Island Envirothon will not be responsible for improperly chaperoned teams.
     
  7. Advisors will be responsible to ensure that teams display proper conduct and respect during the competition and at the host facility. Team members and advisors MUST honor specific rules put forward by the host facility. Violations may include disqualification.
     
  8. The Long Island Envirothon Committee requires a completed and signed forms to be submitted by all participants. These forms may include information about medical and liability waivers, special diets, allergies, and special learning and/or training disabilities. Upon such notification, the Long Island Envirothon will make reasonable accommodations within their limits. 
     
  9. All tobacco products, illegal drugs, alcohol and weapons (including but not limited to: firearms, pocket knives, hunting knives, Leatherman/all-purpose tools, and/or self-protection sprays) are not permitted. Any member of the team, including the advisor having possession of any of these items will be cause for disqualification of the entire team from the competition.
     
  10. Transportation, meals and liability for team members will be the responsibility of each participating school or organization unless otherwise noted by the Long Island Envirothon.
     
  11. No animal, other than a service animal on which the individual is physically dependent, will be allowed at the Long Island Envirothon.
     
  12. No electronic, battery-powered, or solar powered equipment may be used by or be in the possession of team members during the instructional periods, field testing, oral presentation preparation, or oral presentations unless such equipment is provided by the Long Island Envirothon for use during the competition, and/or approved by the Long Island Envirothon (for example to compensate for a physical or mental disability) prior to the start of the competition.

 

Written Field Competition

 

  1. The competition will be conducted by the Long Island Envirothon Committee.
     
  2. There shall be five (5) test stations: Soils, Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife, Current Environmental Issue and one (1) non-test station: Photography.
    1. The Current Environmental Issue shall parallel the issue from the NYS-Envirothon Committee as closely as possible.
    2. The five station tests will be conducted by cooperating agencies and/or independent environmental professionals.
    3. The five stations will be comprehensive in nature.
    4. The five station exams will be 30 minutes in length with an additional ten-minute review/rotation period.
       
  3. Each individual team will stay together during the competition. Team advisors may travel from station to station with their team, however advisors are prohibited from assisting team members with answers or aid in any way that creates an advantage. Advisors/teams who violate this rule will be disqualified from the competition at the discretion of the Long Island Envirothon.
     
  4. Teams will be issued a clipboard, exam, and score sheet at each station of the competition. All materials/guides/keys/equipment and other reference materials needed to complete the exams will be available at the station. Teams are not allowed to carry any other materials, equipment, etc. with them during the competition unless otherwise noted by Long Island Envirothon.
     
  5. No backpacks or similar cases shall be taken on the testing circuit. A small device for carrying personal items, (i.e., lip balm, medications, sunscreen, etc.) may be allowed. The device may be subject to inspection prior to or during the testing. 
     
  6. Bathroom Breaks – Team members MUST be accompanied by Long Island Envirothon staff to and from the bathroom at all times. Any unaccompanied team members will not be allowed back to their team until time is called and all exams are collected.
     
Scoring & Placement

 

  1. Only authorized persons will be allowed in the scoring room.
     
  2. Each station shall be scored on a 100-point basis.
     
  3. The oral presentation shall be scored on a 200-point basis. Each team will have five separate scores (one from each judge). The final determination of winners will be the scores of the written field tests plus the final score of the oral presentation.
     
  4. Tiebreakers for first through third place will be determined by category scores in the following order: Current Issues, Soils/Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Wildlife.
     
  5. Tie breakers for the testing stations will be determined by two tiebreakers fill in the blank questions. These questions will be located at the end of each test for each category. In the event the tie cannot be broken using the tie breaker questions, the team having the most consecutive questions correct, beginning with question one, will win the tie.
     
  6. Should a finding or awarding of points be disputed by an advisor, the Long Island Envirothon has set up a body to hear the dispute and make a ruling. The decision will be final. Any disputes or concerns are to be formally presented in writing within one hour of the end of the competition, duly signed by each member of the team and the team advisor.
     
  7. The scores of participating teams with be tallied on site and the winners of the Long Island Regional Envirothon with be announced the day of the competition. In the event that time constraints or other unforeseen circumstances cause a delay in the competition, the Nassau and Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District’s reserve the right to complete grading after the official end of the event and announce winners and runners up as they are determined.
     
  8. Exams will remain the property of the Long Island Envirothon.
     
The Winning Team
 
  1. The winning team will have the opportunity to represent their county at the New York State Envirothon event.
     
  2. If a full contingent of the winning team is unable to attend the NYS-Envirothon, the Advisor shall notify the Long Island Envirothon and the New York State Envirothon Committee within one week of the New York State Envirothon. The second-place team from the event will be asked to take their place.
     
  3. The team representing their county at the NYS Envirothon must consist of (5) team members and two (2) adult advisors/chaperones.
     
  4. Travel Reimbursement – The Long Island Envirothon will not reimburse for travel expenses incurred by the participants. It is recommended that teams advancing to the NYS Envirothon coordinate with the NYS Envirothon Coordinators and secure travel arrangements in advance of the event.
     
Other
 
  • Rules and regulations of the Long Island Envirothon are subject to change. Any and all changes will be explained in advance to all teams and advisors. 
     
  • Any team or team member that violates any expressed terms or behaves in a dishonest manner that deviates from the spirit of the event will cause disqualification of their team.
     
  • All decisions made by the Long Island Envirothon are final.
     

Oral Presentation

  1. The oral presentation scenario will focus on the current environmental issue, as set by the NYS Envirothon.
  2. The oral presentation scenario will be posted on the NYS Envirothon web site at the end of January.
  3. The oral presentations will be judged by professionals from various organizations and agencies selected by the Long Island Envirothon.
  4. All five members MUST participate orally in the presentation. If all five members do not participate orally in the presentation, then their score will be reduced. See Judges scoring.
  5. Oral presentations will be 7-10 minutes in length. A score reduction will be assessed for less than 7 minutes or over 10 minutes.
  6. During the presentation, participants will be notified of the remaining time allotted.
  7. Judges will have a maximum of 5 minutes questioning time.
  8. No electronic equipment will be permitted.
  9. Visual aids are limited to those listed in the rules sent with the problem scenario unless otherwise noted from the Long island Envirothon. As per these rules and regulations, no electronic, battery-powered, or solar powered equipment may be used by or be in the possession of team members during the instructional periods, field testing, oral presentation preparation, or oral presentations unless such equipment is provided by the Long Island Regional Envirothon Committee for use during the competition, and/or approved by the Long Island Regional Envirothon Committee (for example to compensate for a physical or mental disability) prior to the start of the competition. As such, all visual aids for the Oral Presentation portion of the Envirothon must be comprised using Poster Board and other conventional school supplies, and not computer software programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint.
    1. A. Students will be allowed to prepare visual aids ONLY.
    2. B. ONLY Materials detailed in the Long Island Envirothon Rules can be used. These materials include:
      • 2 - sheets of white poster board (22" x 28")
      • 2 – Sheets of each color of construction paper (9" x 12")
      • 5 – 4 x 6 index cards (one per student used as note cards). All index cards must be hand written. No printed or typed material will be accepted
        *Students may use both sides of the poster, paper, and index cards
        Pens, pencils, markers, paint, crayons, tape, scissors, glue sticks and similar art supplies are permitted.
  10. Oral presentation scores will be based on a criteria sheet approved by Long Island Envirothon. A copy of the scoring sheet will be included with the problem scenario.
  11. Advisors and alternates may view their team’s oral presentation with the permission of the team, but may not assist in any way. Violation of this will result in disqualification.
  12. Competing Teams/Advisors are not allowed to observe other presentations.
     

    Oral Presentation Notes:

    Students will be allowed to prepare visual aids. ONLY materials contained in the visual aids packet that teams receive after their local competition can be used. Students may use both sides of the poster board, construction paper, and index cards