Athens, Ga. – The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia, along with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section and the Environmental Resources Network, are co-sponsoring the 22nd annual state Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest. Teachers and kindergarten through fifth grade students are encouraged to participate in the program that celebrates Georgia’s wildlife through plant and animal discoveries.
This year’s theme, “The Art of Conservation – Discovering Georgia’s Natural Heritage Through Art,” encourages students to learn about the state’s native plant and nongame animals through drawing, following in the footsteps of famous naturalists and artists such as William Bartram, John James Audubon and Roger Tory Peterson. Nongame species (those not legally hunted or fished) vary from rare animals and plants, such as the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the hooded pitcherplant, to common species, such as the northern cardinal and flowering dogwood.
The contest is open to students in public schools, private schools and home-school groups. Participants may enter at the local/school level with drawings that depict their observations of Georgia’s native nongame animals and plants. Top local/school-level entries proceed to the state contest at the State Botanical Garden at UGA in April. First-, second- and third-place winners will be chosen in four divisions: kindergarten, first and second grade, third and fourth grade, and fifth grade. Entries for the state-level contest must be postmarked by April 6.
The top 12 winners will be featured in the 2012-13 Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest school-year calendar. All state-level contest winners also will be on display during the weekends of April 20 – May 7 at Georgia DNR’s Go Fish Education Center in Perry. The Go Fish Education Center offers an educational journey through Georgia’s watersheds to learn about the state’s diverse aquatic wildlife, their natural habitats and the impacts of water pollution. See gofisheducationcenter.com for hours, fees and other details.
The goal of the Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest theme is to generate a greater knowledge and appreciation of Georgia’s diverse and increasingly threatened nongame wildlife and their habitats. See www.georgiawildlife.com/PosterContest or http://botgarden.uga.edu/ for contest rules, entry forms and further information.