MN Assoc. of Soil & Water Conservation Districts

The Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides leadership, educational opportunities, and a common voice for Minnesota's Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). MASWCD also advocates for and drives policies to fund our local communities' conservation needs in preserving our state's natural resources.

One of MASWCDs key youth educational programs is the Minnesota Envirothon—an outdoor field experience and hands-on academic competition for high school students, grades 9 through 12. 

It's one of our state's largest environmental education initiatives. The MN Envirothon develops leadership skills as well as collaborative problem-solving skills. Students expand their knowledge and explore environmental education and natural resource conservation through the study of Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues. 

Students learn about our state's conservation issues and careers in natural resource management, inspiring a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. 

In the Spring, thousands of student teams from several schools across the state compete in area Envirothons sponsored by SWCDs in their local communities. The top three teams in each area earn a spot at the MN State Envirothon. Only one team from Minnesota will advance to the National Envirothon in July where they will compete with over 25,000 students from around the world for scholarships and prizes. 

Your donations will help offset the travel and registration costs of sending the winning MN student team to the 2026 National Envirothon in Mississippi! Learn more here: https://envirothon.org/the-competition/.  

DONATE TODAY and support our future conservationists! 

2025 MN State Envirothon top team - Minnetonka High School

Won 1st place in Oral Presentation at Nationals and placed 8th overall!