Gila Cliff Dwellings Announces Drawing Contest Winners

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Date: October 27, 2006
Contact: Steve Riley, 505-536-9461

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Superintendent Steve Riley announced today the winners of a contest held to fill the pages of a new Junior Ranger book with young artists’ drawings. These illustrations will help tell the story of who and what has made their home in the Gila through time in an activity book designed for, and by, children who visit the Monument.

 

Seventeen entries from as close as Gila Hot Springs, New Mexico and as far away as Shaker Heights, Ohio were contributed by artists age 4-14. “It was actually very easy for us to determine the winners of the drawing contest,” said Sonya Berger, Chief of Interpretation. “All seventeen entries were so creative that we found a place in the new Junior Ranger book for at least one drawing from each artist. The book really came alive when we added their illustrations.” Each winner will receive a copy of the new Junior Ranger book and prizes donated by Western National Parks Association, a non-profit bookstore located at the Gila Visitor Center.

 

In alphabetical order, the winning artists were: Ava Bjornstad, Bella Bjornstad, Isaac Bruemmer, Joe Bruemmer, Max Bruemmer, Anne Elwess, Wyatt Graves, Keighley Hastings, Preeya C. Janakiraman, Claire Jorgensen, Brenna Lambert, Krista Lambert, Sandy Lorraine Moore, Kaila Perry, Allison Sedillos, Eleanor Thorman, and Gabriella Trevino. A drawing by Brenna Lambert was chosen for the cover.

 

The Junior Ranger Motto: Learn, Explore, Protect was the inspiration behind the new book which provides families a fun and educational way to experience the stories of the Monument. Kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge and certificate after completing activities in the book. Some activities were designed to be completed after leaving the Monument. “We wanted to expand the idea of homes in the Gila to include the homes and lives of our visitors,” said Junior Ranger Ambassador Carol Bree.

 

In addition to working on the text and layout for the new Junior Ranger activity book for 7 to 12 year olds, Bree put together a handout for kids 6 and younger, led family tours of the dwellings once a month, organized art projects for families over holiday weekends, and is currently developing an activity guide for “Senior” Junior Rangers. The "Senior" Junior Ranger program will be designed “for those of us still young at heart, who don’t want to stop having fun learning new things,” said Bree. Artwork for the Senior Junior Ranger book’s cover will combine drawings from both Brenna and Krista Lambert of Lufkin, Texas 

 

Improvements to the Junior Ranger program at Gila Cliff Dwellings, and 25 other parks, were made possible by the Junior Ranger Ambassadors Initiative Program. This program is a partnership between the National Park Service (NPS), the National Park Foundation (NPF) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA), and is made possible through the generous support of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., a National Corporate Partner of the National Park Foundation.



Last updated: February 24, 2015

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