Arts & Entertainment

DEP Announces a Children's Art Contest

2011 Year of the Turtle.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Friends of Sessions Woods, as part of the Year of the Turtle awareness campaign with Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), are sponsoring a turtle art contest for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Children interested in entering the contest are asked to draw, paint, or sketch a turtle species native to Connecticut. Entries will be judged in three age groups: K-first grade, second-third grade, and fourth-fifth grade.

First, second, third, and honorable mention prizes will be awarded in each age group. The Connecticut Science Center, in Hartford, has graciously donated a Family Pass package for each first place winner. The Friends of Sessions Woods Paul Petersen Memorial Fund has donated various turtle-related prizes, such as ribbons and books, for all winning pieces of artwork. First place winners also will have their artwork published in the DEP’s bimonthly magazine, Connecticut Wildlife.

All of the artwork entered in the contest will be on display at the DEP Wildlife Division’s Sessions Woods Conservation Education Center, in Burlington, at a special “Year of the Turtle Day,” scheduled for Sunday, June 26, from 1 to -4 p.m. Award winners also will be announced to the public during Turtle Day. Educational programs on turtles, live turtles, and kid’s crafts are all planned for “Turtle Day.” More information about the event will be on the DEP’s Year of the Turtle Web page at www.ct.gov/dep/yearofturtle as it becomes available.

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An entry form, art contest guidelines, and the list of native turtles (with photographs) that can be illustrated are available on the DEP’s Year of the Turtle Web page at www.ct.gov/dep/yearofturtle. This information also can be obtained by contacting the DEP Wildlife Division’s Sessions Woods office at P.O. Box 1550, Burlington, CT 06013; 860-675-8130 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM).

All entries must be postmarked by June 8, 2011.

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The native turtles that can be illustrated for this contest include the bog turtle, Eastern box turtle, common musk turtle, common snapping turtle, painted turtle, spotted turtle, wood turtle, Northern diamondback terrapin, Atlantic ridley sea turtle, Atlantic green sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, and leatherback sea turtle.

Look for more information to come about turtles and turtle conservation in Connecticut. One of the best ways to learn about turtles during the “Year of the Turtle” is to subscribe to the DEP’s Connecticut Wildlife magazine (www.ct.gov/dep/wildlifemagazine). You also can visit PARCs Web site at www.yearoftheturtle.org, as well as the wildlife section of the DEP’s Web site (www.ct.gov/dep/wildlife).


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