Georgia DNR Reschedules Youth Birding Competition Weekend
Out of safety concerns regarding the coronavirus, The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division has postponed its 15th annual Youth Birding Competition from April 24-25 to Aug. 29-30.
The popular birdathon involves teams of young people from kindergarten to high school seniors counting bird species statewide, then enjoying an awards banquet at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center near Mansfield, GA
As a result of the change in dates, the registration deadline has been moved to July 31 and students who complete their senior year in high school this spring or summer will remain eligible to take part in the competition.
In early summer, organizers will reassess event plans according to the latest guidelines involving COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Meantime, winners of the T-shirt Art Contest, a separate component of the Youth Birding Competition that we reported earlier, were named this week.
The grand prize winner was eighth-grader Alston Li, from Duluth, for her drawing of a perigrin falcon.
Li’s artwork will be featured on this year’s Youth Birding Competition event T-shirts.
The Youth Birding Competition and T-shirt Art Contest are sponsored by DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section, The Environmental Resources Network Inc. or TERN – friends group of the Wildlife Conservation Section – and others including Georgia Ornithological Society and the Atlanta and Albany Audubon societies.