Kids can earn recognition for their efforts to protect and improve Tampa Bay by entering the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's "Guardians of the Bay" contest.
Kids from 8-14 years of age who live in Pinellas, Manatee or Hillsborough counties are eligible to enter the contest. Entry forms are available online at www.tbep.org.
Participants must implement a project in their homes, neighborhoods or schools that helps to protect or restore our local environment. Projects must have taken place between July 2006 and July 2007. The deadline for entering is July 31, 2007, and winners will be announced in August. Prizes include a trip for four aboard The Florida Aquarium's Eco-Tour boat, and a guided field trip along Tampa Bay with a naturalist.
Examples of eligible projects include: litter cleanups, building and installing bird-nesting boxes along a waterway, or planting a Florida-friendly garden. Kids are encouraged to use their imagination, develop an innovative, bay-friendly project of their own and document their work with photos.
The kids' contest is being launched in conjunction with the new "Guardians of the Bay" comic book, which features adults and kids who have been involved in cleaning up Tampa Bay, and presents important lessons abut major problems facing the bay. The comic book also includes tips for being a "Bay-Friendly Kid." Many images in the comic book were taken from the Estuary Program's recent documentary film, "Tampa Bay: Living Legacy." The comic book also can be viewed and downloaded at www.tbep.org.
For more information about the comic or the "Guardians of the Bay" contest, contact Nanette O'Hara at nanette@tbep.org or (727) 893-2765.
