Port Allegany’s Veterans Memorial Inc.

(VMI) hosted this year’s Wild Envirothon on Wednesday with 110 students from McKean and Cameron counties taking part.

The Bradford Bees — Cecily Bell, Emmy Kemick, Autumn Neumann, Joe Bukowski, Jake Whitlow and Advisor Jan Russell — claimed first place and will advance to represent McKean County at the State Envirothon to be held May 21 at Windber Recreation Park in Johnstown.

Otto-Eldred’s Sparklemuffin Spiders — Rowan Kriner, Abby Bell, Halle Wilson, Caleigh Rosler, Ellie Yingling and Advisor Fawn Miller — took second place in McKean County. Third place went to Smethport’s team of Haydn Riekofsky, Mara Ours, Nick Learn, Fisher Szuba, Madelyn McKean and Advisors Kelly Tarbox and Michelle Acker.

In addition to the top three teams, Cameron County, Kane Area and Port Allegany high schools were represented.

The Envirothon has been held locally since 1989. During this handson competition, students may be asked to measure a tree, identify a frog or toad call, or determine soil erosion potential according to a soil survey.

They work as five-member teams to answer questions, and use their critical thinking to find solutions to reality-based situations. Partners helping to make the day possible included the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania Game Commission, USDA Natural Resources & Conservation Service and University of Pittsburgh at Bradford as well as staff and volunteers from the Cameron and McKean county conservation districts.

This year’s Envirothon was filled with unique opportunities. PGC brought a trapped bear and filled the student’s lunchtime with an educational presentation on how trapped bears are processed. The bear was a male weighing in at 110 pounds and considered a “nuisance” bear for getting into trash. Once the bear was safely tranquilized the students got a rare opportunity to touch the bear, which was not injured and was released to a safer place after being processed.

The day ended with another educational presentation about venomous snakes, particularly the timber rattlesnake, python and copperhead.

Tiana Johnson and Alan Hillebrand are certified snake handlers who spend their time protecting these misunderstood snakes. One of their jobs is to remove snakes from areas of construction and development. They do this to protect not only the snake but public safety as well. The presentation taught students that snakes are not aggressive, but reactive. Students enjoyed getting to touch and hold snakes brought for the presentation.