DOWNEAST CHAPTER LAUNCHES ANNUAL CONTEST
UP TO 8 MIDDLE SCHOOLERS CAN WIN SCHOLARSHIPS TOTALING $4,200 FOR A FREE WEEK AT SUMMER CAMP
Middle-school students living in Hancock County who enter the Downeast Audubon (DEA) essay contest will be eligible to win full scholarships worth $525 each for a 6-day, 5-night stay at Tanglewood Camp on the Ducktrap River in a 940-acre forested section of the Camden Hills State Park in Lincolnville. Up to eight scholarships will be awarded to students 10-13 years old. Entries must be postmarked no later than March 13, 2008.
To request an application with full instructions interested students, parents, and educators may call DEA Education, 326-0966, or download applications and info from www.maineaudubon.org/downeast. . To apply for a stay at camp (July 19-24 or July 26-31 are available choices), students need to fill out an application form and write a short essay of 250-400 words about a favorite bird experience. All essays may be sent to Downeast Audubon, PO Box 5267, Ellsworth, Maine 04605. Entrants are asked to include their names on their application form only, as all essay submissions will be judged anonymously. Previous winners may apply only in non-consecutive years. Winners will be announced by April 15.
Tanglewood was founded in 1982 as an environmentally focused, educationally enriching center in partnership with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Options for campers include nature study, forest life, gardening and cooking, creative arts, watershed exploration, swimming, hiking, and sustainability study. Taking on the goals of 4-H Earth Connections, the camp includes among its core values the “caring and respect for all life and the wise use of natural resources” and “commitment to create an understanding of ecology and how the earth works.”
DEA raised enough money from the 2008 birdathon to continue the scholarship awards, traditionally awarded to Maine Audubon’s Hog Island camp (Bremen), which is closed for the summer of 2009. The Downeast Chapter of Maine Audubon is dedicated to the conservation and protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat in Maine. DEA serves all of Hancock County and offers monthly programs and field trips to members and the general public.