A FREE Field Trip to Dead Horse State Park for the ENTIRE CLASS of the essay contest winners in each grade level. While at Dead Horse Ranch State Park students will be involved in workshops sponsored by the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival. The student writing the winning essay in each grade level will also win a FREE pair of binoculars (A $200.00 value). Poster Contest winner wins a t-shirt and birding book. The winner will also be invited to the school day.

DATES:

• April 4, 2013: Essays Due

• April 11, 2013: Winners notified

• April 25, 2013: FREE Field trip to Dead Horse State Park

RULES:

• All entries must be submitted by a Verde Valley student who is currently

in first through twelfth grade or home schooled.

• All work is to be original.

• The maximum length of the essay is 1000 words. 

• The source of all quotes and statistics must be cited.

• A copy of the entry blank must be filled out and attached to the essay. Teachers or parents please fill out the lower section and indicate if the class/group can attend the field trip.

• All entries become the property of the festival committee and will not be returned.

• Online submissions are due by 4:00 pm April 4, 2013: verdeedcenter@yahoo.com.  All information from Official Entry Form is needed.

• Hard copies with entry forms attached MUST be at Dead Horse Ranch State Park (675 Dead Horse Ranch Rd., off N. 10th St., Cottonwood) by 4:00 pm April 4, 2013.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

The winning essay and poster entries will be selected on how well it supports the theme "Discuss the environmental benefits of creating a ‘Water Smart’ backyard landscape that is bird friendly" In addition, the essays will be judged using a 6-traits rubric based on: ideas and content, word choice, conventions, organization, voice, and sentence fluency.

Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival www.birdyverde.org The education team:
Mary Ontiveros (USFS) 928-567-1119, Lynda Zanolli (Verde NRCD) 928-649-6004