Rocky Mountain School flies away with bird calendar prizes

TERRY FULLER

May 15, 2008 at 2:25PM AKST

The last stage of the 2009 Alaska Migratory Bird Calendar contest made its way last month through area schools connected to Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, as local and statewide prizes and ribbons were distributed to students who submitted winning entries.

One area school - Rocky Mountain School in Goodnews Bay - produced a statewide grand prizewinner for the second year in a row. Sheila Evan, a seventh-grader from Goodnews Bay, was chosen for the top prize in the literature category.
For her efforts, Sheila received a new mountain bike. She was given her new bike at an awards ceremony on April 29.

Local prizes this year consisted of a large awards ribbon, assorted art supplies tailored to the student’s grade level and a Peterson’s Bird Identification Book. Younger winners also received an Audubon’s plush Canada goose.

Statewide winners received a new daypack, complete with smaller prizes also selected with consideration for the particular age bracket.

This year’s contest saw a total of 1,613 poster and literature entries from 11 participating refuges. Of those entries, 321 were literature entries and 1,292 were poster entries. Locally, the Togiak refuge received 125 literature entries and 353 poster entries, for a total of 478 entries.

This year’s winners will have their work appear on the 2009 calendar, which will be available in the fall.

Terry Fuller is the education specialist at the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge.