Two Decorah HS Envirothon teams place in top ten at State

(Left to right): "Decorah Ospreys" team members Shai Shay, Steven Holkesvik, Richard Weis, Dalton Brown and Parker Fretheim

Two Decorah HS Envirothon teams finished in the top seven at the state Envirothon contest Monday at Springbrook State Park in Guthrie Center.

The "Decorah Ospreys," a team comprised of Shai Shay, Dalton Brown, Steven Holkesvik, Parker Fretheim and Richard Weis, took first place in the Forestry category and finished third overall.

The "Decorah Brookies," a team comprised of Tess Olinger, Shelby Stalberger, Isaac Marquardt, Carl Sand and Caleb Ulring, took first place in the Wildlife category and finished seventh overall.

The Envirothon tests the students' knowledge of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a special topic dealing with an environmental issue facing Iowa.  This year's topic was the potential effect of the Emerald Ash Borer upon urban forests across the state.

Decorah Envirothon coach Larry Berland remarked, "I was very proud of the way in which each team represented Decorah."