DNR Announces River Of Words Environmental Poetry And Art Contest
Deadline for entries is Feb. 15

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ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is pleased to announce that it will once again participate in the annual International Environmental Poetry & Art contest, also known as River of Words® (ROW). Affiliated with the Library of Congress Center for the Book, the ongoing theme of the contest is watersheds.

Information on the international contest, prizes, entry form, and order form for the Watershed Science Curriculum can be obtained on the ROW website at www.riverofwords.org. The contest deadline is Feb. 15, 2005.

All Maryland entries in the international contest will be automatically entered in the state contest. One poetry and one art finalist will be chosen for the age categories of K-6 and 7-12 in each of the 10 tributary areas. Finalists will be announced in June. Those 40 finalists will compete for the four state championship titles (for corresponding age groups).

For more information, contact Joann Wheeler at 410-260-8809 or jywheeler@dnr.state.md.us, or visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/education/are/row

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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov