The Mountain Goats Take on Mississippi During the 2026 NCF-Envirothon

The Vitality Biosciences "Mountain Goats" team recently represented California at the 2026 National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon. NCF-Envirothon is an international high school environmental science competition. This year, 42 teams, from across the United States and Canada, gathered at Mississippi State University’s campus in Starkville, Mississippi, for a test of their environmental knowledge and field skills. Our team placed 17th overall, a proud accomplishment for our first time at such a rigorous level.

The competition has six components: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, Current Issue, and a final Oral Presentation. The Mountain Goats (Cynthia, Geetika, Mai, Kylie, and Kelly) dedicated months to competition prep, diving into the science of conservation and the specifics of Mississippi’s unique ecosystem.

Sunday, 7/19 | Day 1: After a long flight, our team finally arrived in Mississippi. After checking into our dorms and grabbing a quick dinner, we attended the Opening Ceremony, where Cynthia, our team lead, bore the California flag. Our next stop was MSU’s Foster Ballroom, where we participated in a trading session, exchanging California shirts and keychains for other teams’ exclusive items (like Ontario’s maple flavored Oreos), and were treated to ice cream — necessary fuel for the week ahead.

Monday, 7/20 | Day 2: We were up before sunrise on the first day of the competition, which was dedicated to training with naturalist experts. Our team was split up between stations dedicated to Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, and Wildlife, practicing skills like bird wing identification and tree volume estimations. When we got back inside, we were given an informative lecture on this year’s Current Issue, Non Point Source Pollution, by Dr. Beth Baker. We spent the hours after dinner glued to our notes and practice tests, in nervous anticipation for the next day.

Tuesday, 7/21 | Day 3: After another early start, our team departed for the testing site, a field dotted by tents for each station. We got off a strong start, with Kelly leading an effortless swim through the Aquatics exam, but the day grew hotter and harder. After the Soils station, where Mai had to step directly under the harsh sun to take samples from the pit, we were all exhausted. But our spirits were revived by the Current Issues station, when we confidently answered questions about watershed maintenance and pollution prevention.

Wednesday, 7/22 | Day 4: Wednesday was a “Fun Day:” our team spent the morning at Geyser Falls, a popular Mississippi water park. But it was back to work in the evening, as we prepared ideas for the next day’s oral presentation.

Thursday, 7/23 | Day 5: Thursday was a long, long day. We received the scenario and some background for our Oral Presentation in the morning. Then, for the entire afternoon and evening, 6 hours in total, we were in sequestration. With no access to the Internet, our team relied on provided documents and data, energy drinks, and each other to complete a 28-slide land development proposal. We emerged from isolation with pride in our efforts, but anxiety for the presentation: we spent the night reciting what we could remember of our scripts.

Friday, 7/24 | Day 6: Our Oral Presentation took place in the morning. We had 30 minutes to practice, then presented our slideshow to a panel of judges. It was a relief to finally be done, and we celebrated with a trip to the MSU Barnes and Noble. 

The awards and closing ceremony took place at night. We enjoyed watching the top three oral presentations, which were creative and thorough. Scores were released, and we were pleased to see that we had scored exceptionally well in Aquatics, with a whopping 99, and the Oral Presentation.

Our team is incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to represent California at the 2026 NCF-Envirothon… we have our eye on Maryland, for 2027!