JAY — Spruce Mountain High School’s Maine Envirothon champion team, the Dirt Divas, will present its water-quality research to the public July 8 before representing Maine at the NCF-Envirothon international competition later this month.

The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Spruce Mountain High School Library. Team members will share proposed solutions to nonpoint source pollution threats affecting Wilson Lake in Wilton, along with a competition problem scenario involving water quality in Mississippi’s Noxubee River.

The event is intended to give the students an opportunity to sharpen their public speaking, gather feedback from community members and natural resource professionals, and refine their work before competing July 19-25 at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi.

The public is invited to attend, including family members, sponsors, lake association representatives, conservation professionals and others interested in protecting water quality. A video of the presentation is expected to be posted to YouTube for those unable to attend.

The Dirt Divas are juniors Erin Chen, Emma Furka, Natasha McDonald, Aubrey Mitchell and Jaycie Paine. The team won the Maine Envirothon championship May 29 at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta after taking first place at the Southwest Regional competition in April.

Envirothon is an environmental science competition covering aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife and a yearly current environmental issue. The 2026 issue focuses on nonpoint source pollution, which can reach water bodies through diffuse sources such as runoff from roads, lawns, farms and developed areas instead of from a single source.

For their state-winning project, the Dirt Divas studied water-quality threats facing Wilson Lake. The students used information from Maine Lake Stewards, Friends of Wilson Lake and the 2024 Wilson Lake Watershed Survey Report to develop strategies aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the lake.

Their Wilson Lake presentation earned a 94 out of 100 at the state championship. Spruce Mountain finished with 371.17 points out of 500, narrowly ahead of Tri-County Technical Center of Dexter, which scored 363.5 points.

“Participating in collecting data as part of an actual watershed survey helped the students understand the importance of identifying sources of nonpoint source pollution in a watershed and actions that can be taken to mitigate the impact of these threats to water quality,” advisor Ken Baker said.

The students also have helped collect water-quality data for the Livermore Falls Water District at Moose Hill Pond, the community’s drinking-water source.

“These young women really have gone above and beyond,” advisor Rob Taylor said. “They have studied all areas of the Envirothon intensively and really work well together as a group.”

In preparation for the international event, the team is studying more than 700 pages of materials on Mississippi’s forests, wildlife, soils, water resources and environmental issues.

The team is seeking support to help cover an estimated $7,000 in travel costs. The Maine Association of Conservation Districts will pay the $2,800 competition registration fee. Those interested in supporting the team may contact Taylor at [email protected] or Baker at [email protected].