Envirothon raffle offered

AREA — Enter the Maine Envirothon raffle to win a three-day/two-night Midcoast Maine getaway to Lincolnville Beach. Enjoy a "staycation" or invite friends from away to stay and play just a few miles north of Camden, where the mountains meet the sea.

The raffle purchase supports Maine Envirothon, a state and nationwide environmental competition for public, private and home school students in grades nine to 12.

The winner will receive:

- Relaxing three-day/two-night stay for two at the Victorian by the Sea bed & breakfast. Sleep in a room with private bath and fireplace in this 1889 cottage and wake to a gourmet breakfast in the sunroom overlooking the sea. (victorianbythesea.com)

- One-day paddleboard, kayak or sailing excursion for two on Penobscot Bay with Thorfinn Expeditions. (thorfinnexpeditions.com)

- Dinner for two at the historic Whale’s Tooth Pub. Enjoy seasonal food and drinks on the oceanside deck when it is balmy or snuggle by a fireplace that burns four-foot logs when it's not. (whalestoothpub.com)

This getaway is good for two people anytime during the 2013 season; no blackout dates. Tickets are $25 each with a maximum of 250 tickets sold.

Tickets may be purchased online at maineswcds.org/envirothon, or through your district’s contact info. Drawing will be held at the Maine Association of Conservation Districts spring meeting on Wednesday, March 13. Winner need not be present.

All proceeds support Maine Envirothon, the Maine Association of Conservation Districts statewide education program. Envirothon, a state- and nationwide environmental competition, tests high school students’ knowledge of natural resources and current environmental issues.

Three to five student teams answer questions and solve hands-on problems in five subject areas: wildlife, water/aquatics, forestry, soils, and a current natural resource issue. This year’s current issue is “Sustainable Forestland Management: Achieving balance with forest products, environmental concerns, traditional recreation, tourism and increased development pressure."

A minimum of two teams from each regional competition advances to the State Finals.

Envirothon, an academic program aligned with the Maine Learning Results, integrates math, language arts, cultural land-use history, and science in unique ways. In addition to advising teams, teachers throughout Maine successfully incorporate Envirothon concepts and hands-on activities into their science curricula.

Envirothon raises student awareness of local and national environmental issues and builds critical thinking and decision-making skills by solving real environmental problems. Schools interested in forming a team may contact Josh Platt at josh@kcswcd.org or 622-7847 ext. 3.