TPWD News Release

ATHENS, Texas — Texas students in grades 4 through 12 are invited to enter the tenth annual Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest. Deadline for entries is March 31, 2008.

Contestants must create an illustration of an officially recognized state fish and write a one-page composition about its behavior, habitat and conservation. One Texas winner will be selected from each of three grade levels: 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. Those winners will then compete at the national level for best of show and art of conservation stamp honors.

Every Texas entrant will receive a fishing lure from Strike King Lure Company. In addition, the Toyota Texas Bass Classic Foundation will provide funding for prizes for Texas winners and for travel expenses for Texas winners and their chaperones to the national expo at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in July 2008.

Texas entries are judged at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. For details on the contest and how to enter, visit the State-Fish Art Contest page on the TFFC web site.

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is a facility of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department that incorporates a visitor center, educational programming and a production fish hatchery. It is located 75 miles southeast of Dallas and is open Tuesday through Sunday. For more information call (903) 676-2277 or visit the web site.

On the Net:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishart
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/tffc

I have introduced the contest to my 11th grade classes and have had several take interest. I will remind them about it upon returning from Christmas break! Any teachers out there should research and see how they can fit it into their lessons. I made it work when we studied Theodore Roosevelt and the conservation movement. I cannot wait to see what they can come up with!