A team of nature-loving students from Fuqua School won first place in a regional competition of the 2017 Dominion Envirothon. According to a Fuqua press release, they will be one of 18 teams advancing to the statewide contest at Virginia State University.

“The Dominion Envirothon challenges students to test their knowledge of nature in the great outdoors by completing five ‘in-the-field’ testing stations to study soils, wildlife, aquatics, forestry and a special topic,” Fuqua officials said.

The release cited that each team is also rated on environmental problem-solving skills during an oral presentation judged by a panel of industry and natural resource professionals.

“This spring, more than 1,800 high school students from across Virginia participated in competitive Dominion Envirothons,” officials said. “Dominion has been a primary sponsor of Virginia Envirothons since 2012, providing funds to the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) for the events.”

According to the release, VASWCD is a private nonprofit association of 47 Soil and Water Conservation Districts promoting the conservation of natural resources through stewardship and education programs.