DNR announces student poster contest winners

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DNR announces student poster contest winners
(Released May 16, 2011)


Seventh and eighth grade students from Holdingford, Sauk Rapids and Cold Spring were the top winners in the 27th annual Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) “Roadsides Are For The Birds” poster contest.

List of contest winners: http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011-student-poster-contest-winners.doc

 
Gilbert Ruegemer and John Dvorak, both of St. Robert Bellarmine Academy, and Vicky Evans of Rocori Middle School were selected as first prize winners. Students from 19 schools entered works in this year’s contest.

“The purpose of the contest,” said Carmelita Nelson, DNR Roadsides for Wildlife coordinator at St. Paul, “is to help increase awareness of the growing importance of roadsides for wildlife, particularly for ground nesting birds. As wildlife habitat continues to disappear, roadsides nesting habitat is becoming more critical.”

Roadsides can provide bird-nesting habitat if mowing and other disturbances of roadsides are delayed until after the nesting season, usually around Aug. 1.

In addition to the first prize winners, special recognition awards went to:

Vicky Evans of Rocori Middle School in Cold Spring for biological accuracy
John Dvorak of St. Robert Bellarmine Academy in St. Cloud for expression of theme
Ryan Busche of Fairmont Jr. High School in Fairmont for best pen/pencil
Jordyn Bernstein of ACGC Junior-Senior High School in Grove City for creative use of material
Alyssa Driessen of Lynd Public School in Lynd for humor
Vicky Evans as winner of the Staff’s Choice Award.
Prizes and contributions for the contest were donated by: Wildlife Heritage Association; Minnesota Pheasants, Inc.-Steele County; Pheasants Forever; New Ulm Chapter of the Izaak Walton League; Minnesota Waterfowl Association; National Camera Exchange, Golden Valley; and the DNR Roadsides Program. Ross Frame Shop and Universal Framing, both of Minneapolis, and The Frame Gallery of New Ulm, donated framing of the posters.

The three first prize winners will also have their work displayed during the 2011 Minnesota State Fair in the DNR building. Works of the top 40 prize winners will be displayed at the Minnesota Deer Classic and Sports Show at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds March 9-11, 2012.

Contest judges were Carmelita Nelson, DNR Roadsides for Wildlife coordinator; Helen Owens, retired middle school art instructor; Joel Anderson, retired DNR wildlife manager; and Dona Larkin, Renville artist.