Teacher Tips

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network, Inc. (T.E.R.N.) are delighted to have you participate in the 22nd annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest! The theme for this year’s competition is The Art of Conservation – Discovering Georgia’s Natural Heritage Through Art, a topic that encourages students to discover our state’s magnificent native plant and animal diversity through artistic expression.

Since the beginning of time, art has been used to share one’s emotions, views and knowledge of our world. Famous artists like William Bartram (1739–1823), John James Audubon (1785–1851), Roger Tory Peterson (1908–1996) and David Allen Sibley (born 1962) were first known as naturalists, ornithologists and educators before sharing their artistic excellence with the world. Through many years of expansive studies, long-term travels, and detailed documentation, these illustrators made many drawings from the extensive notes and photographs of the native flora and fauna discovered on their adventures. Their artistic expressions are now considered some of the finest natural history illustrations of all time. They have helped raise awareness of conservation issues, conveying the importance of sustaining our natural heritage through their research and art. Your students can learn from these worldrenowned artists and Discover Georgia’s Natural Heritage Through Art by exploring their schoolyard and backyard environments or by taking a field trip to the nearby park, nature center or botanical garden and share their plant and animal discoveries through art!

The goal of the Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest is to generate a greater knowledge and appreciation of Georgia’s diverse and increasingly threatened wildlife and their habitats. It is only a deep concern and commitment to these wild places that will ensure their existence for future generations to enjoy.

Contest details:

Start with a local contest at your school

While following the Poster Contest Rules and Guidelines, your students will depict artistic drawings of their findings and will compete at the local level in a school-wide poster contest. First, second and third place winners should be chosen from your school’s entries for the local level contest at your school. All participating students can receive place award ribbons and a Give Wildlife a Chance certificate (refer to Contest Awards section). Participating schools will then choose one first place winner from each division and mail the winning entries to The State Botanical Garden of Georgia to compete in the state level contest. These entries will be comprised of the four division categories described in the Poster Contest Rules and Guidelines section. First, second and third place winners will be chosen as state level winners from each Division level. These top 12 winners will be showcased in the 2012-2013 Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest winning calendar.

Classroom activities and resources

• Check with your school or public library, DNR wildlife biologist, state park ranger, county extension agent, garden club, nature center or local nursery to see what information they offer on native wildlife and plants.
• Host a guest speaker, go on a field trip to a natural area or display photos of native species in your classroom.
• Use identification field guides to learn range and distribution of Georgia’s native plants and animals.
• Visit a butterfly garden and have your students draw what they see.
• Help your students to distinguish the differences between native plants and introduced/exotic species such as kudzu, and learn how exotic species can displace the native species.
• Show your students how to do an internet search for Georgia’s native nongame wildlife. Visit sites such as www.georgiawildlife.com, http://museum.nhm.uga.edu, www.srel.edu, www.enature.com, www.gwf.org, www.gos.org, www.uga.edu/botgarden and http://southeast.fws.gov.