Weedsport Students Set to Compete at New York State Envirothon Competition at SUNY Cortland

The Weedsport Envirothon Team – called the “Water warriors” – recently placed 4 th out of 11 teams at the Regional Envirothon Competition last month at the Audubon Nature Center.
The team placed second overall in the soils and current events( non point pollution sources)categories. The team qualified to attend the New York State Envirothon Competition at SUNY Cortland on May 27-28. Students will compete in forestry, soils, aquatics, wildlife, current events, and an oral problem presentation that focuses on a solution to non-point pollution sources.
Team members include:
Cadence Clink
Logan Perry
Madlyn(Toby) Kintzele
Amber ( Makayla) Lopez
Alexis Arliss
The 2026 Weedsport High School Envirothon Team traveled to the Adirondack Mountains May 1-3 for a hands-on study weekend. The team members stayed in cabins on the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry(SUNY ESF) Campus( Huntington Wildlife Forest) in Newcomb, NY.
The students met with a SUNY ESF Outreach Program Manager, Jacob O'Connell, for a non-point pollution program that focused on watersheds in respect to atmospheric deposition and surface water runoff. Anicka Chaffey, author of the "Journey to the Hudson", also contributed to the discussion on watersheds. Her book focused on the visual exploration of a changing watershed in the Adirondack Mountains.
Students also conducted field ecology sampling for forestry, soils, and aquatic ecology. The students were able to examine the biodiversity(species identification) and water chemistry of Arbutus Lake and evaluate the quality of the Arbutus Lake and watershed. Students had several opportunities to improve their scientific inquiry skills throughout the weekend by examining the landscape and reporting their observations to their peers. Much of this was done as the students hiked up Coney Mountain and around Arbutus Lake. Several discussions on the political, social, and natural history of the Adirondack State Park took place throughout the weekend. We are grateful to the chaperones, Cassandra Lee and John Anderson. The Weedsport HIgh School Envirothon Team( named Water Warriors) will be competing in the New York State Envirothon Competition at SUNY Cortland Campus on May 27 and 28, 2026.
