DNR Announces Upcoming Deadline For River Of Words® Environmental Poetry And Art Contest

---

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is pleased to announce that it will once again be participating in the 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 annual contest is watersheds.

Information on the international contest, prizes, entry forms, and order forms for the Watershed Science Curriculum can be obtained on the ROW website at www.riverofwords.org. The contest deadline is Feb. 15, 2007.

All Maryland entries in the River of Words® international contest will be automatically entered in a separate 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). The art and poetry from the contest is a reflection of what the children have learned about watersheds through both formal and informal education.

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

---

February 1, 2007

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 449,000 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