Teachers and students across Georgia are invited to celebrate Georgia’s wildlife diversity from the mountains to the sea by participating in the annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest. Whether walking through a cove forest in the mountains, canoeing down the Altamaha River or wandering Spanish-moss draped hammock forests on Sapelo Island, students can explore all the wildlife diversity Georgia’s natural habitats have to offer and illustrate their discoveries in the 21st annual conservation art contest.
This year’s competition theme, “Celebrating Georgia’s Wildlife from the Mountains to the Sea,” showcases the state’s native plant and animal diversity inhabiting each physiographic region, from the Appalachian Mountains in the Blue Ridge ecoregion to the sandy beaches of the barrier islands ecoregion. March 21 is the postmark deadline for entries in the state-level contest, which is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network, or T.E.R.N., friends group of the Nongame Conservation Section.
The poster contest is open to all kindergarten through 5th-grade students in public schools, private schools and home-school groups. Participants enter at the local school-level with drawings that depict their observations of Georgia’s native plants and animals. Top school-level entries proceed to the state contest at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens. First-, second- and third-place winners are chosen there for four divisions: kindergarten; first and second grade; third and fourth grade; and fifth grade.
The top 12 winners will be featured in the 2011-2012 Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest school-year calendar. All state-level contest winners also will be on display during weekends April 8-23 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 our diverse aquatic wildlife, their natural habitats and the impacts of water pollution. Visitors can see live fish exhibits, explore Georgia’s underwater habitats from mountain streams to black water swamps, test their fishing skills with interactive fishing and boating simulators, and view aquatic wildlife, including alligators! Visit www.gofisheducationcenter.com for directions, fees and operating hours.
The goal of this year’s Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest theme is to generate a greater knowledge and appreciation of the state’s diverse and increasingly threatened wildlife and their habitats. It is only a deep concern and commitment to these wild places that will ensure their existence for future generations to enjoy.
Visit www.georgiawildlife.com (click “Get Involved” and the poster contest link) or www.uga.edu/botgarden for contest rules, entry forms and further information about the 21st annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest. DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and T.E.R.N. have sponsored more than two decades of nongame wildlife exploration, education and art with the annual contest.
The Nongame Conservation Section, part of Georgia DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division, is charged with conserving nongame wildlife, including animals that are not hunted, fished for or trapped, plus native plants and natural habitats. The section receives no state general funds, depending instead on fundraisers such as the sale of the eagle and hummingbird license plates and the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff.
Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation Section offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).
Poster Contest at a Glance
- 21st annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest
- Theme: “Celebrating Georgia’s Wildlife from the Mountains to the Sea”
- Emphasis: Generate a greater knowledge and appreciation of Georgia’s diverse and increasingly threatened nongame wildlife and their habitats.
- Postmark deadline for state-level contest entries: March 21.
- Top 12 winners showcased in 2011-2010 school-year calendar.
- State-level entries displayed at the Go Fish Georgia Education Center in Perry during weekends of April 8-23.
- Details: www.georgiawildlife.com/node/1110 or www.uga.edu/botgarden.