CONTACT: Stephanie Addison
(202) 547-6223; stephanie-addison[at]nacdnet.org

CONTACT: Sara Kangas
(202) 547-6223; sara-kangas[at]nacdnet.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 28, 2018

NACD ANNOUNCES 2017 POSTER, PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS

NASHVILLE, TN. – Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2017 poster and photo contests winners at the organization’s 72nd Annual Meeting.

Each year, the NACD and NACD Auxiliary photo and poster contests give students and adults the opportunity to display their artistic talents on a national stage.

The top honors for photos in the Agriculture and Conservation Across America category went to:

Jennifer Rikard of Stone County Soil and Water Conservation District in Mississippi (first place, adult division)

Joni Mehus of Root River Soil and Water Conservation District in Minnesota (second place, adult division)

Moira Carroll of New Castle Conservation District in Delaware (first place, youth division)

Maxon Blow of Kent Conservation District in Delaware (second place, youth division)

In the Close-Up Conservation category, the winners are:

Sandra Warren of Jefferson Davis Soil Conservation District in Mississippi (first place, adult division)

Melinda Evick of Northern Panhandle Soil and Water Conservation District in West Virginia (second place, adult division)

Eva Lee of Vernon County Land and Water Conservation Department in Wisconsin (first place, youth division)

Courtney Brown of New Castle Conservation District in Delaware (second place, youth division)

The winners of the Conservation in Action category are:

Caitlin Stewart of Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District in New York (first place, adult division)

Tanya Flegel of Kingsbury Conservation District in South Dakota (second place, adult division)

Allison Melvin of Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District in Indiana (first place, youth division)

Karalee Christensen of Root River Soil and Water Conservation District in Minnesota (second place, youth division)

In the Conservation Practices category, the winners are:

Troy Bishopp of Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District in New York (first place, adult division)

Breta Lee of Vernon County Land and Water Conservation Department in Wisconsin (second place, adult division)

Rithanya Saravanan of Henricopolis Soil and Water Conservation District in Virginia (first place, youth division)

Riley Alexander of New Castle Conservation District in Delaware (second place, youth division)

Over 250 kindergarten through 12th-grade students from more than 30 states submitted “Healthy Soils are Full of Life!” themed posters for the 2017 NACD poster contest.

The first, second and third place posters for the kindergarten through first grade division were created by:

Kooper Craig Bean of Buena Vista Soil and Water Conservation District in Iowa (first place)

Lydia Mae Parry of Uinta County Conservation District in Wyoming (second place)

Elijah James Ritter of Delaware County Conservation District in Pennsylvania (third place)

In the second grade through third grade division:

Rhett Forkner of Vernon County Soil and Water Conservation District in Missouri (first place)

Elijah Peat of Lauderdale County Soil Conservation District in Tennessee (second place)

Shreaya Ilayanambi of Delaware County Conservation District in Pennsylvania (third place)

In the fourth grade through sixth grade division:

Xinyi Zhang of the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts in New Jersey (first place)

Kailee Hardin of Marion Soil and Water Conservation District in Illinois (second place)

Elli Marie Pitcher of Erie Soil and Water Conservation District in Ohio (third place)

In the seventh grade through ninth grade division:

Cassie Tammy Wang of Mercer County Soil Conservation District in New Jersey (first place)

Maria Kassandra Caraveo of Stevens County Conservation District in Kansas (second place)

Sara Anne Garst of Clinch Valley Soil and Water Conservation District in Virginia (third place)

In the tenth grade through twelfth grade division:

Cody Mason Hodge of Bedford County Soil Conservation District in Tennessee (first place)

Rithanya Saravanan of Henricopolis Soil and Water Conservation District in Virginia (second place)

Jamie Kuiken of Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District in Indiana (third place)

Winning photos and posters for 2017 can be found on Flickr: NACD’s 2017 national photo contest and 2017 NACD poster contest.

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About the National Association of Conservation Districts:

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.