Wildlife Poster Contest Celebrates Citizen Science

Teachers and students in Tucker can celebrate Georgia wildlife and students’ artistic interests by participating in the 2013 Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest.

Whether exploring their schoolyard or taking a field trip to a nearby park, students are encouraged to share their plant and animal discoveries through art in the 23rd annual conservation poster contest.

This year’s theme, “Everyone Can Be a Citizen Scientist,” encourages students to observe and record data about the natural world around them. Citizen science efforts such as projects BudBurst and FeederWatch offer the public a chance to contribute to scientific studies while learning about wildlife.

The poster contest focuses on Georgia’s nongame animals – those not legally fished for or hunted – and native plants. Students in grades K-5 in public schools, private schools and homeschool groups enter at the local school level with drawings of native nongame animals and plants.

The Give Wildlife a Chance competition is aimed at generating a greater knowledge and appreciation of Georgia’s diverse and increasingly threatened nongame wildlife and their habitats.

Entries in the state-level contest must be postmarked by March 27. Sponsors include DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network (TERN), Nongame Conservation’s friends group.

Learn more here and also here. Pictures of last year's winners can be found here on Flickr.