Texas Envirothon Teacher Workshop

Workshop #2: Current Issue

Date: Saturday, February 7
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom

This workshop is an opportunity for team advisors, teachers, informal educators, and community members to participate in specialized training and get answers about the current issue, Non-point Source Pollution: It begins at home!

We’re also offering a $50 stipend for eligible participants, thanks to a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Galveston Bay Estuary Program.

Stipend Eligibility:

• Limited to the first 16 teachers/advisors who register and attend
• Must be a high school teacher/advisor
• Must complete the UH System vendor setup (eligible participants will be emailed an invitation)

Presentation Videos & Downloads

WATCH: Welcome and Competition Updates
Wendy Reistle, Program Coordinator, Texas Envirothon, UHCL Environmental Institute of Houston

WATCH: Aquatics: Non-point Source Pollution
PDF: Aquatics: Non-point Source Pollution
Dr. Jenny Oakley, Senior Planner, Houston-Galveston Area Council

Additional Resources:

• Non-point Source Pollution Checklist
• Non-point Source Pollution Case Studies

WATCH: Water Water Everywhere…Sustainable Strategies for Managing Supply in the 21st Century
PPT: Water Water Everywhere…Sustainable Strategies for Managing Supply in the 21st Century
Dr. Kathy Garland, Senior Lecturer, College of Business, UHCL

WATCH: NPS: Urban Runoff, Marine Debris, and Outreach Campaigns
PDF: NPS: Urban Runoff, Marine Debris, and Outreach Campaigns
Natasha Zarnstorff, Water Protection Manager, Galveston Bay Foundation

WATCH: Large or Small, Connect Them All: Green Infrastructure as a Solution for Local Water Challenges
PPT: Large or Small, Connect Them All: Green Infrastructure as a Solution for Local Water Challenges
Celina Gauthier Lowry, Extension Program Specialist, Green Infrastructure for Texas, Disaster Assessment and Recovery, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

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Workshop #1: Core Topics

Date: Saturday, December 6
Time: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: University of Houston-Clear Lake

This workshop provides an introduction to the four Envirothon core topics—Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soil and Land Use, and Wildlife. Participants will review the basics, explore teaching resources, and try out activities to get teams ready for Envirothon.

We’re also offering stipends this year for eligible participants, thanks to a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Galveston Bay Estuary Program.

Stipend Eligibility:

• Limited to the first 16 teachers/advisors who register and attend
• Must be a high school teacher/advisor
• Must complete the UH System vendor setup (eligible participants will be emailed an invitation)

Presentation Videos & Downloads

WATCH: Welcome to Envirothon – 2026 Update
Wendy Reistle, Program Coordinator, Texas Envirothon, UHCL Environmental Institute of Houston

WATCH: Session 1: Wildlife
PPT: Wildlife Habitat and Conservation
Ricardo Cagigal, Natural Resources Specialist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Additional Resources:
PPT: 2025 Wildlife - Student Training Presentation

WATCH: Session 2: Aquatic Science
PDF: Aquatics
Dr. Jenny Oakley, Senior Water Resources Scientist, Houston-Galveston Area Council

Additional Resources:

• Non-point Source Pollution Case Studies

WATCH: Session 3A & B: Forestry
PPT: Forestry
Sam Hill, Woodland Ecologist, Texas A&M Forest Service, and Jaden Kelly, Educator and Environmental Scientist, Texas A&M Forest Service

Additional Resources:

• Forest Biology
  • PPT: Tree Biology
  • Tree Cross Sections
  • Leaf Characteristics
• Forestry Ecology and Communities
  • Forest Fact Sheets
  • Forests and Water
  • Non-game Wildlife Management
  • Snags – The Wildlife Tree
  • Texas Ecoregions
• Forestry Field Skills
  • PPT: Field Skills
  • Brown Spot Needle Blight
  • Eastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Emerald Ash Borer
  • Hypoxylon Canker
  • Identify and Manage Oak Wilt
  • Ips Bark Beetle
  • Leaf Morphology Quick Reference
  • Nantucket Pine Tip Moth
• Forests and Society
  • Benefits of Trees: Economic
  • Benefits of Trees: Environmental
  • Benefits of Trees: Social
  • Managing Hardwood Forests
  • Overview of Prescribed Burning
  • Urban Forest Stats
  • Urban Forests Protect Water Resources
  • What are BMPs?
• Session 4: Soils
  PPT: Soils & Land Use
  LaToya Irvin, Urban Conservationist, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service

Questions? Contact Wendy Reistle at reistle@uhcl.edu or 281-283-3045.

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This project has been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency or TCEQ.