Four elementary school children were selected as statewide winners in the Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division announced. More than 5,000 kindergarten through 5th-grade students from 45 public schools, private schools and home-school groups took part in the 18th annual conservation art competition.

Statewide finishers in the four grade divisions included:

Kindergarten

1st place: Morgan Mathews, Pike County Primary School, Zebulon, Ga.

2nd place: Daniel Tetterton, Tate Elementary School, Tate, Ga.

3rd place: Tori Caldwell, Ephesus Elementary School, Roopville, Ga.

1st-2nd grade

1st place: Brittany Phillips, Lincoln County Elementary School, Lincolnton, Ga.

2nd place: Ambus Powell, Tiftarea Academy, Chula, Ga.

3rd place: Kaitlin Barton, St. Joseph Catholic School, Athens, Ga.

3rd-4th grade

1st place: Keeren Daya, Fayetteville Intermediate School, Fayetteville, Ga.

2nd place: Drew Wulff, Heard County Elementary School, Franklin, Ga.

3rd place: Ana Edwards, Centralhatchee Elementary School, Franklin, Ga.

5th grade

1st place: Cynthia Kirk, Centralhatchee Elementary School, Franklin, Ga.

2nd place: Addison Fisher, Robert Toombs Christian Academy, Lyons, Ga.

3rd place: Brianna Todd, Ephesus Elementary School, Roopville, Ga.

These top 12 winners will be showcased in the 2008-2009 Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest calendar. All state-level entries will be on display in the Conservatory at the State Botanical Garden in Athens through Wednesday, April 5.

Participants entered the contest at the local school level with drawings that depict their observations of Georgia’s native plants and animals. Posters followed the 2008 contest theme, “The Sights and Sounds of Wild Georgia.” Top school-level entries proceeded to the state contest at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Poster contest sponsors include the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network Inc. (T.E.R.N.).

For more information on the contest, visit www.georgiawildlife.com and www.uga.edu/botgarden or contact Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, 116 Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth, GA 31029; telephone, (478) 994-1438.

Georgians can support important conservation, recreation and education efforts like the Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest and other conservation programs for Georgia’s nongame wildlife through buying a nongame wildlife license plate for their vehicles and donating to the “Give Wildlife a Chance” State Income Tax Checkoff. Check www.georgiawildlife.com for details.