REGION- The Huron-Manistee National Forests (HMNFs) is now accepting entries for this year’s Kirtland’s Warbler Young Artists’ Calendar Contest from kindergarten through eighth grades. Over 900 entries were received in 2023 from individual students and classrooms across the Great Lakes region and The Bahamas. The calendar showcases the top 18 entries on its October 2024 – December 2025 pages (15-months), a profile of the Kirtland’s warbler history, and thumbnails of the Honorable Mentions’ artwork.
Since 2003, the contest has always been a popular activity. “We get so many great pieces every year,” said Mio District Wildlife Biologist Dana Meder. Meder noted that a community panel of judges reviews each entry of original, submitted artwork.
Entries to the Kirtland’s Warbler 2024 Young Artists’ Calendar Contest must demonstrate an understanding of the Kirtland’s warbler or any other creatures that live in the Great Lakes region’s unique jack pine forests, or its winter habitat in The Bahamas. “They must be original pieces,” she said, noting that this year, students can submit their entries and submission forms via email.
Contest entry forms, rules, deadlines, submission instructions and judging criteria can be found on the Kirtland’s Warbler 2024 Young Artists’ Contest webpage linked on the Forests’ Website. Additional resources for researching the Kirtland’s warbler’s habitat and behavior are also located there.
The contest is a collaboration of the USDA Forest Service HMNFs, Huron Pines AmeriCorps, American Bird Conservancy, the Eastern National Forest Interpretive Association and The Bahamas National Trust. The contest’s intent is to teach children about the rare Kirtland’s warbler and its habitat. Proceeds of the calendar support the US Forest Service Kirtland’s warbler educational efforts.
All entries must be submitted no later than March 8, 2024, to the Mio Ranger District Office. Artwork entries become the property of the USDA Forest Service and will not be returned.
For more information contact: Dana Meder or Alison Staelgraeve 989- 826-3252.
