Species on the Edge Contest Winners Celebrate at Awards Ceremony

Posted on
Mercer County Wildlife Center Director Diane Nickerson, CWF Executive Director Liz Silvernail, CWF Board Member and Atlantic City Electric Environmental Manager Lisa Thomas, Mercer County Park Commission Deputy Director Joseph Pizza, and CWF Director of Education Rachel McGovern join the 2023 Species on the Edge Contest Winners.

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey recognized the winners of the 21st annual Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest at an awards ceremony held at Mercer County Wildlife Center. The statewide educational contest empowers fifth graders to advocate for an endangered or threatened wildlife species through their research, artwork, and writing.

Over 3,000 students submitted an original piece of artwork and an essay addressing the threats to the animal they selected and what can be done to help protect it. The contest encourages students to learn about local environmental issues, express their concerns for the world around them, think creatively about ways to improve it, and consider how their actions impact the natural world. 

One winner and a runner-up are chosen from each county. This year’s Mercer County winners Ashka Shah (first) and Isabelle Appelget (second) had the special honor of receiving awards from Mercer County Park Commission Deputy Director Joseph Pizza.

We are grateful to our sponsors PSE&G Foundation, NJEA, Atlantic City Electric, Church & Dwight, Pure Storage, The Zoological Society of New Jersey, and Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery.

For more information, visit http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/education/edge/. 

Mercer County Species on the Edge winners Ashka Shah (left) and Isabelle Appelget (right) receive special Mercer County Park Commission awards from Deputy Director Joseph Pizza.
CWF Board Member and Atlantic City Electric Environmental Manager Lisa Thomas and CWF Director of Education Rachel McGovern present Atlantic County winner Harper Plasket with her award.
Donate Now
Back to blog

Leave a Comment

  1. It’s always wonderful to see organizations such as Conserve Wildlife getting young people involved in their work and educating them about conservation.

Comments are closed.