Wyo kids honored for ag art

Cheyenne – Eighteen Wyoming students have been selected as winners of Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom (WAIC) and the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council’s (WPC) 14th Annual Bookmark Contest.
    In addition to the 18 winners, nine entries were chosen as honorable mentions. Over 1,700 entries were submitted for the contest, which is open to all third, fourth and fifth grade students in Wyoming. Youngsters entering the contest are asked to create a bookmark with an agricultural or natural resource theme.
    For the past 14 years, WAIC and the WPC have hosted the agriculture and natural resource Bookmark Contest. The contest is designed to increase awareness of agriculture, noxious weeds and natural resources. This year, the contest included a new category topic of predators. This category is sponsored by the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board (ADMB) to raise awareness of predator/prey relationships and the interactions they have with agriculture and wildlife in the West.
    WAIC along with the WPC, Wyoming Beef Council, EnCana Oil and Gas USA, (Inc.), and the ADMB will hold an awards ceremony May 9 in Cheyenne for bookmark winners and honorable mentions. Governor Freudenthal, Director of Agriculture John Etchepare and other elected officials will be present to honor the students. The students, along with their families and teachers, are invited to this prestigious event.
    WAIC is a nonprofit organization that was incorporated in 1987 for the purpose of developing an understanding about the importance and the values of agriculture and its role in maintaining and improving the environment, economy and quality of life. The annual bookmark contest is one of the many programs that WAIC has developed to promote agriculture awareness for Wyoming students.
    The winning bookmarks will be distributed across Wyoming at elementary schools, public libraries, businesses and agriculture expos, as well as at selected national venues.
    If you’d like to display copies of the bookmarks at your business or an event in your community contact Sarka J. White, WAIC Education Director, at swhite@state.wy.us or 307-777-6618. Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom can be found online at www.wyomingagclassroom.org.