Event held at Ft. Larned draws youth from across the state
PRATT — The 11th Annual State Finals ECO-Meet competition was held at Ft. Larned National Historic Site on Nov. 4. Mild weather enhanced the competition, which proved to be an exciting, hard-fought contest. The following list includes the team event winners:

• Team 1st Place ($300 per student scholarship) — Blue Valley North High School Team A, including Olivia Cowen, Sam Parker, Carrie Remillard, Amanda Sevcik, and team coach Eric Kessler;
• Team 2nd Place ($200 per student scholarship) — Wakefield High School, including Brandi Bergmeier, Kristen DeWitt, Josh Keim, Cort Mohler, and team coaches Alby Adamson and Mark Mohler; and
• Team 3rd Place ($100/student scholarship) — Kapaun/Mount Carmel High School, including Shelbi Carpenter, Elise Chavez, Alison Huffman, Michael Schlapp, and team coach Abbie Herring.

Individual event winners included the following:

• Herpetology — 1st Place, Ian Staudenmyer, Blue Valley North High School, $200 scholarship; 2nd Place, Cort Mohler, Wakefield High School, $100 scholarship; and
• Tallgrass Prairie — 1st Place, Cort Mohler, Wakefield High School, $200 scholarship; 2nd Place, Olivia Corwin, Blue Valley North High School, $100 scholarship.

Twenty-four teams consisting of 90 students from 22 high schools across the state competed at the event. An additional five students qualified as individuals in the two test events. Eight regional qualifying competitions determined those who moved to state competition. Regional locations included Wilson Reservoir, the Sternberg Museum in Hays, Milford Nature Center, Lakewood Discovery Center in Salina, Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita, Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush, and Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe.

Kansas ECO-Meet sponsors include the Kansas Wildscape Foundation; Nex-Tech of Hays; Simpson Farm Enterprises of Ransom; Manweiler Chevrolet of Hoisington; Rolling Hills Electric COOP Association of Mankato and Ellsworth; Barton County Community College at Great Bend; Marelcy of Hutchinson; H & B Communications of Holyrood; Owls Nest Campground and Champions Car Wash of Junction City; Clock Realty, Doerr’s Ace Hardware, Pawnee County Co-op, and Ward Feed Yard, all of Larned; the Friends of Quivira NWR; Friends of Milford Nature Center; Mid America Awards of Salina; Goodwin Sporting Goods of Hays; and the Wildlife Education Service Section of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Pratt.

To view results from all regional events and the state competition or for more information about the Kansas ECO-Meet, go on online to www.kansasecomeet.org, email Mike Rader at miker@wp.state.ks.us, or phone 620-672-0708.
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