The Virginia Envirothon, organized by the Association of Virginia’s Soil & Water Conservation Districts, is a statewide natural resources competition for high school students. The competition teaches students about caring for the environment and solving conservation problems, and gives students a chance to work with professionals in the field. Every year, student teams prepare with a coach and are tested on topics like soil and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and an additional environmental topic that changes annually. The teams also visit field sites to gain hands-on experience, and create a presentation focusing on the annual topic. If teams score enough points in their regional competition, they can advance to the state-level competition and possibly to the North American Envirothon.

In 2019, the Jamestown High School team from Williamsburg, Virginia won the entire North American competition. While the statewide Association coordinates Virginia’s competition, the state’s 47 District Boards each sponsor local teams, furthering their mission of protecting natural resources, educating future generations, and preparing students for college and careers in environmental fields like management and conservation. Many past Envirothon participants have gone on to work in the field, including with state Departments of Agriculture, and credit the Envirothon experience as an important step on their career path.

Sources: Virginia’s Soil & Water Conservation Districts; Fairfax County Government; Envirothon; Colonial Soil & Water Conservation District; West Virginia Conservation Agency

Term limits: none; terms are four years

Eligibility: to run for any office in North Carolina, you must be at least 21 years old and eligible to vote in the state

North Carolina has 96 Soil & Water Conservation Districts. Find yours here. Most districts contain just one county, and are run by a Board of five Supervisors. The Albemarle District is an exception: it includes five counties (Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Perquimans) and the Board has 17 Supervisors. In every district, three Supervisors are elected (in the Albemarle District, three from each county), and the others are appointed by the state Soil and Water Conservation Commission based on recommendations from the elected Supervisors.

Supervisors meet at least once a month and are responsible for managing conservation programs and helping their communities with environmental issues. Their most important powers and responsibilities are:

• Administering state and federal conservation programs
  Including programs focused on water conservation, farmland protection, wetlands and wildlife restoration, and more
• Helping their communities with natural resource management
  Including water protection and efficiency, erosion control, stormwater and flooding management, forestry, and more
• Responding to natural disasters
  Helping landowners and local governments with cleanup and restoration efforts and advising on conservation issues
• Helping with local conservation projects
  Boards can get involved with educational programs, land management, and more

Sources: the North Carolina Constitution, Article VI; the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Term limits: none; terms are four years

Eligibility: to run for Conservation Director, you must be qualified to vote in Virginia, a resident of the District you want to represent, and have been a resident of Virginia for at least one year.

Virginia is divided into 47 Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and each District has a Board of Directors. The number of directors on each board varies. If the District includes only one county or independent city, the board has 3 elected members and 2 members who are appointed by the statewide Board. If the District includes multiple localities, there are 2 elected members from each locality, plus 2 appointed members. A Director’s main responsibilities are:

• Protecting soil, water, and other natural resources in their District
  Directors need to have a comprehensive understanding of all the conservation issues affecting their District, and developing plans to address those issues is a Board’s top priority
• Making sure public funds are used and managed responsibly
  District Boards manage several programs that give funding to farmers and other people and organizations involved in conservation work
• Education
  Such as workshops for farmers and sponsoring their local Envirothon team
• Serving on other committees focused on conservation
  Many Directors have professional experience in conservation or a related field, and can lend their expertise 
• Other local services
  Some Boards offer water monitoring, equipment rentals for farmers, and other resources depending on the needs of their area

Sources: Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation; the Constitution of Virginia; the Virginia Legislative Information System; Virginia’s Soil & Water Conservation Districts; Eastern Shore SWCD; Virginia Department of Elections; Fauquier County Government; the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program; Prince George County Government