by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist
Congratulations to the hundreds of hardworking and creative 5th grade students who advocated for an endangered or threatened species from New Jersey through an art piece and essay. You have inspired everyone at Conserve Wildlife Foundation with your enthusiasm for protecting our cherished wildlife.
(more…)by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist
This past August, Species on the Edge Art & Essay winners and their parents joined Conserve Wildlife Foundation and New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife biologists at Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center for a day exploring New Jersey’s only marine conservation zone.
(more…)by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist
Thank You to Everyone Who Participated in the 2021 Species on the Edge 2.0 Social Media Contest.
We at The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey would like to congratulate everyone who took part in this year’s contest on their hard work and creativity!
It was a delight for us to see the variety of ways you all were able to get the word out about New Jersey’s wildlife and the work we all can do to protect it. Your posts generated thousands of “likes” and views while spreading the positive message of wildlife conservation.
And after much deliberation, we are excited to announce our winners for the 2021 Species On The Edge 2.0 Social Media Contest!
Bennett Davenport
Moorestown, NJ
@TheBudgetMuseum
Bennett’s nature documentary approach to Species on the Edge with his show, The Budget Museum, brought a unique and engaging energy to this year’s contest. His fully produced videos about NJ’s ospreys showed a great deal of talent and hard work, while also grabbing viewer’s attention with humor and creativity. With a clear dedication and care for wildlife education, we hope to see Bennett continue his efforts to educate us about animals, both modern and prehistoric.
We’re so glad to name Bennett’s campaign this year’s winner for Species on the Edge 2.0.
Congratulations Bennett, and job well done!
Anvitha Nekkanti
Parsippany, NJ
@ProtectThePipingPlovers
Anvitha’s series of posts about the piping plover were jam-packed with information and featured adorable artwork of the beach nesting birds and other shore fairing species. Her use of infographics, videos, and games made her posts a real multimedia extravaganza.
Kaitlyn Chang
Fort Lee, NJ
@Kai_W_C
Kaityn’s digital painting timelapses of bobcats were breathtaking to watch and incredibly informative. Her passion and hard work made this series of posts a joy to watch and we’re excited to see where her artistic career takes her!
Kayla Cotter
Manalapan, NJ
@BronzeCopperButterfly
Kayla’s series of posts were overflowing with info and drew a lot of attention. She utilized the platform to its fullest, making use of video, slides, hashtags, and games to spread the word about the bronze copper butterfly.
Congratulations to Bennett, Anvitha, Kaitlyn, and Kayla!
And thank you to all of our participants for putting your creativity to work to help New Jersey’s rare and imperiled wildlife.We hope you enjoyed getting to know some of these rare species better and hope you will stay involved in conservation.
A special thank you to contest sponsor PSEG Foundation.
by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist
CWF invites high school students from across the state to submit an original social media campaign showing why it is important to protect wildlife in New Jersey!
The fun and educational Species on the Edge 2.0 Social Media Contest capitalizes on high school students’ expertise with social media platforms and provides them with the opportunity to showcase their talent, creativity, and love of nature.
Students will create their own original content (for example: video, text, photograph, computer graphic) or utilize existing Conserve Wildlife Foundation content to create a series of posts focusing on one of New Jersey’s vulnerable species that CWF helps protect.
Best of all, it’s free – and gives students the chance to win prizes!
This is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to learn about and advocate for New Jersey wildlife, while also earning the chance to win a scholarship! Moreover, the students utilize social media for purposes of this contest!
Please note that entry forms must be received by Saturday, March 27, 2021.
by Ethan Gilardi, Wildlife Biologist
The deadline extension comes along with other rule changes made in an effort to make entering the contest easier for students in a virtual or hybrid learning environment. We understand that students may have trouble mailing their art to us from home, so we are also opening Species on the Edge to online submissions!
Students can now send us scans or digital photos of their artwork, their essays, and completed entry forms to us by email!
Online:
Email a scan/digital photo of your artwork, essay, and entry form to Ethan.Gilardi@conservewildlifenj.org.
By mail:
Mail your artwork, essay, and entry form to…
Conserve Wildlife Foundation,
450 Shrewsbury PLZ #110,
Shrewsbury, NJ 07702.
More info about contest entry can be found in the contest kit linked at the end of this post and on the Species on the Edge Art & Essay webpage.
Contest winners who have submitted their artwork electronically will receive an envelope with prepaid postage to mail their artwork to CWF for inclusion in our calendar and statewide exhibitions.
There are also new artwork size requirements. These changes are being made so that students can use paper they are more likely to have at home. Artwork can now be as small as 8.5″ x 11″ and no larger than 12″ x 18″.
We hope the extra time and rule changes makes it easier for everyone to enter Species on the Edge 2021!
Any questions or comments can be sent to Ethan.Gilardi@conservewildlifenj.org.
The Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest empowers 5th grade students to advocate for an endangered or threatened species from New Jersey through a well-researched, creative essay and original art piece.
Simple, Fun, and Free to Enter!
Students may enter the contest with their class, or on their own.
One winner from each county in New Jersey will be selected.
Open to all New Jersey fifth grade students.
© 2019 Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey