Forest Service Launches "Get to Know Your Wild Neighbor" Calendar Contest

Forest Service Launches "Get to Know Your Wild Neighbor" Calendar Contest
Contact: Sue Exline (559) 297-0706 ext 4804
For immediate release.

Clovis (September 25, 2008)...The U.S. Forest Service and the "Get to Know" Program have joined forces with an unprecedented collaboration of more than 30 major organizations – including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Wildlife Federation, the Children & Nature Network, and California State Parks to launch the 2011 Get to Know Your Wild Neighbor calendar contest.

The contest encourages kids 18 and younger to submit entries in the art, digital photography, or the writing category. The contest will run from September 26 to November 30 and there are dozens of different ways to participate. As a class, a family, or as an individual, youth can visit parks, forests, zoos, aquariums, or natural history museums and convey their experience through their choice of art, writing, or photography.

The theme for this year’s contest is "forests," and youth are invited to celebrate forests or the animals that live in them. This year's winning artwork will be published in the 2011 Get to Know Contest Calendar.

The U.S. Forest Service recognizes that the "Get to Know" Program has made a significant difference for Canada’s resources and its children for more than a decade. We look forward to making that same difference within the United States. The U.S. Forest Service is encouraging families to "get to know" your National Forests by participating in a number of "outdoor experiences." These outdoor experiences range from camping and hiking, to picnicking in your National Forest.

Our National Forests present outstanding opportunities for kids and parents to learn about our natural ecosystems. The program also makes available lesson plans that are California State Board of Education approved for teachers that would like to incorporate the "Get to Know" program into the classroom. The class curriculums are available on line for kids in grades K-12.

Saturday, September 26, 2009 was chosen for the contest launch because it is also the 16th annual National Public Lands Day, the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enjoy public lands. Last year's Public Lands Day events saw more than 120,000 volunteers participate nationwide.

For full details on the contest, the U.S. Forest Service, the partners involved, and how to participate, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/get2know/.