Envirothon team to travel to Canada for international competition

COEUR d’ALENE — Five students from North Idaho are moving on to compete on an international stage in natural resources and environmental issues.

STEM Charter Academy won the state Envirothon competition in Challis for 2025 for the third year running. 

It was Ellie Freeman’s first time participating in the Envirothon and she said the current issue the team had to solve at the state contest focused on forestry concerns while factoring in river erosion to mitigate. 

“There's a city in the middle of the forest and there’s a lot of U.S. Forest Service land around and they’re facing increasing pressure to build and expand their city into the forest,” Freeman said. 

As expansion and growth in the area continue, Freeman said it’s an important issue for Idaho and the region to troubleshoot, but it all comes down to balance. 

“There's more and more pressure to build on those areas, it helps the economy, but it’s hard for those who like those open spaces and want to preserve them,” Freeman said.     

Students meet with subject matter experts, do hands-on activities and are tested on the material.  

The group was sponsored by the Kootenai-Shoshone Soil and Water Conservation District. 

Envirothon aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of natural resources and environmental issues utilizing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, teamwork and communication, while demonstrating knowledge of environmental science and conservation practices.    

Freeman said her favorite thing she learned during the state competition was how land can be preserved through an easement to protect native plants and wildlife or natural beauty. 

“I thought this was an awesome way to preserve our local environment in a financially feasible way for landowners who may be facing increasing pressure to sell off their land to be developed,” Freeman said. 

Envirothon adviser Michelle Carlson said the Envirothon team will be competing in July against students from the U.S., Canada, China and Singapore in Calgary, Alberta.    

Her goal has been to increase participation across the state to bolster the region’s connection to the outdoors and educate young minds about actionable ways to preserve local ecology. 

Keira Barnhart said it was her second year participating and she will be the incoming Envirothon team captain at the start of the school year. 

“It’s a good way to know what’s going on environmentally in our community and how people impact it and work with others,” Barnhart said. 

Forestry is her major at school and she proudly carries the fact that she is the fourth-generation member of her family to be involved in the timber industry.  

She hopes to communicate more about how and why logging actually works. 

“There is so much more that happens behind the scenes. We’re helping sustain them (forests) and making sure they’re not becoming tinder boxes for wildfires,” Barnhart said. 

Barnhart was encouraged by the progress the team made over the last year, but she’s already brainstorming Canadian species the team will need to learn before the competition this summer. 

She hopes to share her knowledge with more of her peers and get them interested in forestry and conservation.  

“Not many people do it, but it’s their future. They need to know what’s happening in their world right now,” Barnhart said.

    Students Jacob Lenz, Micah Collins, Colton Burnside, Ellie Freeman and Keira Barnhart are moving on to compete in an international Envirathon competition in Calgary, Alberta in late July.