Nature Bowl Winners to Help Plant Fish in Jenkinson Lake May 30

Media Contacts:
Bruce Forman, DFG Region 2, (916) 358-2353 or (916) 591-1161
Kyle Orr, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8958

Students from six northern California elementary schools will get a hands-on nature experience next week – their reward for a job well done in the 28th annual Nature Bowl competition. The winners of the competition, students from Placer, El Dorado, Sacramento and Yolo counties, will assist the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) with stocking trout at Jenkinson Lake on May 30.

What: DFG Trout Plant

Who:  Elementary school students from the following schools:
Third and Fourth Grade Winning Teams

• First place: EurekaElementary School,GraniteBay
• Second place: Lake ForestElementary School, El Dorado Hills
• Third place: LatrobeElementary School, Shingle Springs

Fifth and Sixth Grade Winning Teams

• First place: Lake ForestElementary School, El Dorado Hills
• Second place: LatrobeElementary School, Shingle Springs
• Third place (three-way tie): MaryDeterding Elementary School, Carmichael Fred T. KorematsuElementary School, Davis Jackson Elementary School, El Dorado Hills

When: Wednesday, May 30
Meet at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery (20001 Nimbus Road, Gold River)
at 8:30 a.m. Arrive at the lake to stock approximately 10:30 a.m.

Where: Jenkinson Lake (a.k.a. Sly Park Lake), Pollock Pines

Click here for a map

The Nature Bowl is a regional, cooperative team competition focusing on activities and questions regarding environmental science and natural resource conservation topics that correlate to the California Education Standards for Science.  This year’s event was held in March and April, with the winning teams earning honors on May 5.

“Nature Bowl participants have spent months building a scientific foundation and learning about valuation of the natural world and how our actions can help reduce threats to the environment,” said Bruce Forman, DFG Nature Bowl Coordinator. “The competition is designed to prepare youth for real-world issues, so letting them help with an actual trout plant is a fitting reward for their hard work.”

More than 500 youths participate in the Nature Bowl each year. Students forming 82 teams from seven counties competed in Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter and Yolo counties.

San Diego Students Take Top Honors in DFG State Archery Competition

Media Contact:
Lesa Johnston, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8933

Two San Diego students are the top shots in the California National Archery in the Schools Program (CalNASP) second annual Virtual State Archery Tournament. Billy Decanay and Michelle Lizarraga, both seniors at Kearny High School, had the highest scores in the statewide tournament. Both students, along with the first through fifth ranking individuals in each division (elementary, middle and high school) can move onto the national competition.

“We are very proud of all the students who participated in the Virtual State Archery Tournament and we would especially like to commend the two top shooters from Kearny High School,” said California NASP Program Manager Lesa Johnston. “It’s great to see young people interested in a sport that requires dedication and focus to be proficient. Archery is a lifelong sport and can easily translate into other outdoor pursuits.”

The Virtual State Archery Tournament is designed to give students the opportunity to challenge their mastery of the sport in a supportive environment in which they can compete with other students statewide. Students compete in their own gymnasiums and their scores are posted in a national database where the state and individual scores and rankings are available. Decanay was the top male shooter and top overall shooter in the state competition, and Lizarraga was the top female shooter of the competition.

Both archers will each receive a new Genesis Special Edition compound bow donated by the manufacturer at a special school ceremony in May.

CalNASP is an affiliate of the National Archery in the Schools Program and is hosted by the California Department of Fish and Game. Funding for CalNASP is provided by the Federal Aid and Wildlife Restoration Act. For more information, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/nasp.

Lodi, Roseville, Colfax Students Win Top Honors in DFG Film Contest

Black bear

Contact: Carol Singleton, DFG Communications Office, 916-322-8962

The results are in for the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) first-ever “Bear Aware” Youth Film Contest for high school students in the greater Sacramento area.

A film created by two Lodi High School brothers won both first place and the public choice award. Joey and Sam Hickmann earned a check for $500, a $100 gift card to REI and an opportunity to participate in a rehabilitated bear cub relocation next spring. Their catchy public service announcement, which included an original “Bear Aware” rap song, was chosen from a pool of 40 films submitted by high school filmmakers from around the region including Auburn, Nevada City, Colfax, El Dorado Hills, Roseville, Sacramento and Lodi.

Nick Garner from Woodcreek High School in Roseville won second place and will receive $300. Reece Maginn, also from Woodcreek High, earned third place and will receive $200. Three other films were given honorable mentions and will receive $100 each. These went to Edward Khoma, Woodcreek High School; Devin Castillon, Woodcreek High School; and to a team of Colfax High School students – Amanda Schafer, Maryssa DeVille and Erin Bresnahan.

“We were encouraged to see these youngsters’ dedication to the conservation of California’s wildlife resources,” said DFG black bear program coordinator Marc Kenyon. “They masterfully combined artistry with ethical conservation messaging to educate the public how to live among black bears. We were so impressed that we are now planning to expand the film contest to other parts of the state and include other wildlife species.”

The “Bear Aware” Film Contest was the first step in a larger public outreach campaign to raise awareness about the importance of securing food and trash while in black bear habitat. Once bears become habituated to human food and trash they lose their natural ways and often must be killed. The students’ public services announcements, which were targeted at residents and visitors of the Lake Tahoe Basin, will be broadcast throughout northern California as part of the campaign.

To view the films, please go to www.dfg.ca.gov/BearFilmContest/TopFilms.html.

In order to make the contest possible, DFG partnered with the California Houndsmen for Conservation, who provided $1,300 for cash prizes; REI, who donated a $100 gift card for the People’s Choice Award; and the Bear League.

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