Middlesex County winner Gabrielle Bailey learned about the short-eared owl.
Trenton, New Jersey – Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) honored 21 fifth grader students from every county in the state for their award-winning artwork and essay on the state’s endangered and threatened species. The 11th annual Species on the Edge contest drew over 2,000 entries from throughout the state.
Students were asked to draw or paint one of New Jersey’s 83 at risk species and write a personal essay about how the animal became endangered and what we can do to help protect it.
“Each one of these exceptionally talented students has told a personal and compelling story that illustrates just how important it is to protect the at-risk wildlife that calls New Jersey home,” says David Wheeler, Executive Director of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF). “Their vivid, inspiring artwork reveals the singular biodiversity that New Jersey offers and how our youngest generation can utilize their creativity to connect with the world around them.”
The winners were honored at an awards ceremony this week held at the New Jersey Education Association in Trenton, New Jersey. Contest sponsors include the New Jersey Education Association, PSE&G, GAF, Atlantic City Electric, Church & Dwight, and ShopRite Supermarkets.
This year’s entries ranged from the Golden-winged warbler, a state threatened songbird, to the Bog turtle, a federally endangered reptile, to the Bobcat, a state endangered mammal. Other animals profiled by the winning fifth graders included birds such as the Piping plover, amphibians like the Pine Barrens treefrog and insects such as the Silver-bordered fritillary butterfly.
The winners include:
- Jordyn Robinson, Sicklerville, Atlantic County
- Ariela Alfonso, Rivervale, Bergen County
- Ava Vaughn, Lumberton, Burlington County
- Mansi Patel, Bellmawr, Camden County
- Dominic Vitiello, Cape May Court House, Cape May County
- Maritza Trejo, Port Norris, Cumberland County
- Claryssa Martinez, Newark, Essex County
- Anna Kilpatrick, Mantua, Gloucester County
- Marena Faltas, Jersey City, Hudson County
- Megan Eastman, Stockton, Hunterdon County
- Sophia Phelan, Laurenceville, Mercer County
- Gabrielle R. Bailey, Princeton Junction, Middlesex County
- Trevor Crochet, Monmouth Beach, Monmouth County
- Terrence Obuah, Hackettstown, Morris County
- Caden Schroeder, Jackson, Ocean County
- Daniel A. Midence, Clifton, Passaic County
- Lauren Radi, Somerville, Somerset County
- Logan Hanley, Lafayette, Sussex County
- Olivia Qiu, Roselle Park, Union County
- Marigold Green, Blairstown, Warren County
For more information about Species on the Edge, visit here.