2016Envirothon Theme: Invasive Species
NH Envirothon—Aquatics Team Cover Letter
Dear participants:
This letter is to help you prepare for the Aquatics section of this year’s New Hampshire Envirothon competition. We do not expect you to memorize a lot of facts and figures, but want you to know how to use information and resource tools to make management recommendations and decisions. Our questions may be about general aquatic topics or they may be related to this year’s theme.
General aquatic topics - we oftentest your competence in:
Using tables and graphs to assess environmental conditions;
Using maps (topographic , bathymetric, ArcGIS) to understand basic symbols and characteristics, watershed location, flow patterns of water;
Identifying basic aquatic macroinvertebrates and having a general understanding of the organisms and what they indicate about biodiversity and water quality; and
How to mitigate or remediate environmental problems using Best Management Practices or BMP’s.
Invasive Species theme - focusing on aquatic ecosystems, you need to understand:
What are Invasive Species? According to the NH Department of Agriculture website, invasive species are plants or animals that are not part of New Hampshire’s native flora and fauna. They have become a problem, resulting in impacts to the natural environment and managed landscapes. Invasive species possess traits that give them an advantage over most native species, such as production of many offspring, early and rapid development, adaptability and tolerance of a broad range of environmental conditions and, the lack of natural controls to keep them under control.
Why are we concerned?Invasive species can reduce natural diversity, impact endangered or threatened species, reduce wildlife habitat, create water quality impacts, stress and reduce forest and agricultural crop production, damage personal property, and cause health problems. Within the United States, the adverse economic impacts are great.
How might citizens help combat invasive species?Under the Aquatics Section of the NH Envirothon website, there is information about how to control aquatic invasive species;
Testing suggestions:
Be sure to answer each question thoroughly and provide an explanation for your answer when applicable. It is to your advantage to answer each question to the best of your ability, as we give partial credit for acceptable answers. Our test is designed to see how well you apply your knowledge to support your conclusions. We recommend that teams involve all team members to complete the entire exam in the time given.
We look forward to seeing you at the training and competition day!
Good luck to you all,
The New Hampshire Envirothon Aquatics Team