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Young outdoor writers to share their heritage, win trip of a
lifetime
Every year, young people across Oklahoma share their outdoor
heritage by competing in a youth outdoor writing contest for a chance at a
trip of a lifetime.
According to Colin Berg, education supervisor for the Wildlife
Department, the essay contest is an ideal way for youth to show their love
for the outdoors and, in the process, possibly win a vacation in the great
outdoors. There are two age categories (11-14 and 15-17), and one girl and
one boy winner are chosen from each one.
To participate, students must be 11-17 years of age and
currently enrolled in any Oklahoma school or home school. Winners of the
2007 contest are not eligible. Applicants must have successfully completed
an Oklahoma Hunter Education course by the entry deadline, which is Nov. 19,
2008. Students also must use the theme of “Hunting: Sharing the Heritage” or
“Archery: What I like about Archery in the Schools and Bowhunting” or the
concept of the theme to develop an expository essay or short story.
Winners in the 15-17 age category (one boy and one girl) will
receive a guided antelope hunt in New Mexico, and winners in the 11-14 age
category are competing for scholarship for the Apprentice Hunter Program at
the YO Ranch in Mountain Home, Texas. Safari Club International’s Apprentice
Hunter Program is a unique, hands-on course designed for girls and boys aged
11-14. The program covers topics such as history of hunting, the ethical
basis of modern sport hunting, wildlife management, field identification,
tracking and interpreting sign, game cooking and the SCI Sportsmen Against
Hunger Program. There are three sessions, each one week long, during the
summer of 2009.
The four statewide winners and their legal guardians will be
invited to Oklahoma City to attend an awards ceremony in March. In addition,
the top 25 essay entrants will receive a one-year youth membership to Safari
Club International. The winning student essays will be published in the
OSCSCI newsletter “Safari Trails.” Publication qualifies the winning entries
for the National Youth Writing Contest sponsored by the Outdoor Writers
Association of America. Several past national winners have come from
Oklahoma.
One educator also will be awarded an all-expenses-paid
scholarship for an eight-day conservation education school at Safari Club
International’s American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS) at Granite
Ranch near Jackson, Wyoming, according to Berg.
The AWLS program is conducted during the summer and presents an
outdoor program for educators that concentrates on natural resource
management. Participants learn about stream ecology, map and compass usage,
fly tying, shooting sports, wildlife management, the Yellowstone ecosystem,
camping, white-water rafting, educational resources, how to implement
outdoor education ideas and language arts and creative writing in an outdoor
setting.
Both the essay contest rules and teacher scholarship
applications are available from the Department's Web site at
www.wildlifedepartment.com/writingcomp.htm
Essays and applications must be postmarked no later than Nov.
19, or delivered by Nov. 19 in person to the Department of Wildlife’s Jenks
Office at 201 Aquarium Drive, in Jenks. Address entries to: Essay Contest,
Attn: Education Section Supervisor, ODWC Jenks Office, P.O. Box 1201, Jenks,
OK 74037.
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