Category: Education

For over twenty years, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey has hosted the Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest, inviting fifth graders from across the state to showcase their creativity and passion for wildlife conservation. This year, students from twenty counties participated, submitting imaginative artwork and thoughtful essays focused on New Jersey’s threatened and endangered species.

To enter the contest, students created original artwork and wrote an essay about an at-risk species, exploring its challenges and conservation needs. While a variety of species were featured, the Pine Barrens tree frog stood out with numerous stunning portrayals, alongside popular choices like the humpback whale, bobcat, and green sea turtle.

A panel of judges, including CWF biologists and representatives from two of our sponsors—PSEG Foundation and Church & Dwight —carefully evaluated each submission. Judges assessed the quality of both the artwork and essays, as well as the accuracy of the species’ depiction. After much deliberation, they selected one winner and one runner-up from each participating county.

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

We are thrilled to announce the first and second-place winners of the 2025 Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest.

Atlantic County:

1st Place: Sarika Sakhalkar (Belhaven Middle School)

2nd Place:  Milana Vorobeva (Belhaven Middle School)

Bergen County :

1st Place:  Lieul Lee (Northvale School)

2nd Place: John Chanwoo Lee (Upper School Elementary School)

Burlington County:

1st Place:  Axford Higginbotham (Kenneth R. Olson Middle School)

2nd Place:  Russell Czekanski (Kenneth R. Olson Middle School)

Camden County:

1st Place:  Maria Rodas Garcia (Mary E. Volz School)

2nd Place:  Chloe Lender (Mary E. Volz School)

Cape May County:

1st Place:  Emma Zweignebaum (Dennis Township Elementary School)

2nd Place:  Emery Macomber (Dennis Township Elementary School)

Essex County:

1st Place:  Tashvi Gandhi (Yantacaw Elementary school)

2nd Place:  Riya Parikh (Washington Elementary School)

Gloucester County:

1st Place:  Calliope Glassman (J. Mason Tomlin Elementary School)

2nd Place:  Michael Montanero (J. Mason Tomlin Elementary School)

Hudson County:

1st Place:  Nabiha Mgaresh-Parke (Mifftaahul Uloom Academy)

2nd Place:  Ruby Kalish (All Saints Episcopal Day School)

Hunterdon County:

1st Place:  Ali Rowe (East Amwell Township School)

2nd Place:  August Schaefer (High Bridge Middle School)

Mercer County:

1st Place:  Geordie Feller (Toll Gate Grammar School)

2nd Place:  Josie Radler (Omni World Academy)

Middlesex County:

1st Place:  Hope Nolasco (Greater Brunswick Charter School)

2nd Place:  Leo Xu (Little Fish Art Studio)

Monmouth County:

1st Place:  Aurelia Aponte (Nut Swamp Elementary School)

2nd Place:  Noah Mangone (Nut Swamp Elementary School)

Morris County:

1st Place: Michaela Mendoza (Chester M. Stephens Elementary)

2nd Place:  Abeer Tokkar (Chester M. Stephens Elementary)

 

Ocean County:  

1st Place:  Logan McGuire (Nellie F Bennett Elementary)

2nd Place:  Dominic Zinser (Nellie F Bennett Elementary)

Passaic County:

1st Place:  Vincent Botsolas (EG Hewitt Elementary School)

2nd Place:  Victoria Trayanov (Clifton Public School 9)

 

Salem County:

1st Place:  Erika Schaller (Creativity CoLaboratory Charter School)

2nd Place:  Maggie Harz (Creativity CoLaboratory Charter School)

Somerset County:

1st Place:  Amelia Aron (Mount Horeb Elementary School)

2nd Place:  Klari Jalies (School of Saint Elizabeth)

Sussex County: 

1st Place:  Amelia Eaton (Sandyston-Walpack Consolidated School)

2nd Place:  Josephine Farrell (Sandyston-Walpack Consolidated School)

Union County:  

1st Place:  Natalia Huaman (St. Theresa’s School)

2nd Place:  Adrian Molina Aplicano (Malcolm E. Nettingham Middle School)

Warren County:

1st Place:  Autumn Calvano (Ridge and Valley Charter School)

2nd Place:  Anders Hall (Ridge and Valley Charter School)

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is thrilled to announce the return of the redesigned Species on the Edge 2.0 contest for its second year! High school students from grades 9 to 12 across New Jersey are invited to join this exciting competition and stand a chance to win fabulous cash prizes.

Species on the Edge 2.0 isn’t just any contest—it’s a dynamic, problem-based learning project aimed at teaching students how to protect and preserve the rare and at-risk wildlife that call New Jersey home. This fun and engaging contest is the perfect opportunity for students to team up with their friends and develop real-world solutions to ensure our wildlife continues to thrive.

Participants will gain invaluable skills in STEAM, environmental advocacy, design thinking, social and emotional learning, teamwork, critical thinking, and project management. It’s an amazing chance to learn, grow, and make a real impact!

How to Join the Fun:

1. Form a team of 2 to 6 students.
2. Choose a threatened or endangered species native to New Jersey.
3. Create an awesome video to raise public awareness and propose solutions to help restore our ecosystem

 

Still images from the First and Second Place team’s videos in the 2024 contest

Participants will be amazed by how many species are currently “on the edge” in New Jersey, the nation’s most densely populated state. Registered teams will receive a contest kit with all the guidelines and are invited to attend information sessions where they’ll explore various scenarios. Each team will take on the role of a research scientist, citizen scientist, engineer, policy maker, investigative reporter, college professor, non-profit director, or environmental artist. The creativity is endless!

The Species on the Edge 2.0 contest is completely free and offers an incredible opportunity for students and facilitators to win cash prizes. To join the mission, complete the online entry form by March 3, 2025, at: https://conservewildlifenj.org/education/edge2.0/. Make sure to submit your finished videos by April 18, 2025.

Ready, set, let’s save New Jersey’s wildlife together!

 

by Rachel McGovern, Communications and Outreach Manager

Just off the coast of Island Beach State Park, you can find the Sedge Islands Marine Conservation Zone. This unique area is managed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and is home to a great number of wildlife species. Across this 1,900-acre preserve, one can find ospreys, rays, Northern diamondback terrapins, American oystercatchers, and many other incredible animals. Tucked away in this area is an island with a historic building that was once a duck hunting lodge but is now the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center.

Each year, winners of the Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest are invited to the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center (often referred to as simply “Sedge” or “Sedge Island”) to spend a day exploring the salt marsh. The Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest is held annually for fifth graders in New Jersey. To enter, students submit an original art piece and essay centered around an at-risk New Jersey species of their choice. A panel of judges chooses a winner from each county in New Jersey. A trip to Sedge Island is one of the ways that we celebrate the winners’ achievements. Winners of the 2024 contest and their adult chaperones were offered a choice of dates to join us for a trip to Sedge Island this summer.

Continue reading “Species on the Edge Winners Explore Sedge Island”

by Rachel McGovern, Communications and Outreach Manager

CWF’s Wildlife Science Summer Camp on Long Beach Island has wrapped up for the 2024 season. This camp was produced by CWF in partnership with the Osprey Foundation and the Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts & Sciences (LBIF). This year, we offered two distinct weeks of camp, both with hands-on activities and nature exploration.

Our first camp week was “Junior Wildlife Biologists,” which served children ages 10-12. Our intention for this week of camp was to introduce campers to the wildlife studies that are done in New Jersey, learn some of the methodologies used in the field, and witness wildlife data collection.

Campers had the opportunity to work with our wildlife biologists during the week to learn about their areas of expertise. Wildlife Biologist Christine Healy came in for a day of camp to help campers understand land use and its impact on salamanders and to explore how she uses GPS trackers to study turtles.

Continue reading “Wrapping Up Wildlife Science Summer Camp for 2024”

by Rachel McGovern, Director of Education

Peregrine falcons are fascinating to learn about—they are swift, fierce, and intelligent birds. They are a joy to teach about, too! CWF is fortunate to have the opportunity to teach about these amazing birds of prey with students in Linden Public Schools, due to the generous support from Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery.

Each year, CWF visits every third-grade classroom in the Linden Public School District to deliver in-depth lessons about peregrine falcons. These lessons delve into the life history of peregrines, the reason for their decline, and how they are recovering today. Students explore how these falcons have adapted to modern-day landscapes by nesting on manmade structures rather than exclusively choosing their traditional cliffside sites. For city-dwelling students, it’s a revelation to discover that these endangered raptors thrive in environments like their own.

Central to this educational initiative is the Union County Falcon Cam– a live camera on a falcon nest located just a couple miles from Linden’s elementary schools. This camera has been in operation since 2016. It is run in cooperation with Union County and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. A live feed brings the viewer into a nest on the roof of the Union County Courthouse where Frida and Mango, the current pair at this nest, raise young each year. Students learn about the history of the camera and check in with the birds during their lesson. Teachers are also encouraged to check in with the falcons regularly for students to watch them raise their young.

Continue reading “Third Grade Students Explore the Fascinating World of Peregrine Falcons”

by Rachel McGovern, Director of Education

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey’s Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest
encourages fifth-grade students to create artwork featuring endangered or threatened species in
New Jersey. Every year, fifth-grade students from Ridge Street Elementary School in Newark,
New Jersey eagerly participate in this contest as an integral part of the Soaring with STEAM
curriculum. This curriculum includes a series of specialized lessons taught by CWF educators
throughout the school year. To honor these students’ engagement, CWF organizes an annual
assembly featuring acclaimed artist James Fiorentino. Renowned for his diverse portfolio
spanning wildlife, sports icons, and landscapes, James embarked on his artistic journey at the age
of fifteen, with his work showcased in the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his visit to Ridge Street
Elementary, James shared his inspiring narrative and engaged with the young artists on the
subject of art.

Continue reading “Newark Fifth Graders Enjoy Annual Art Assembly with James Fiorentino”

by Rachel McGovern, Director of Education

The spotlight was on the third graders at Ridge Street Elementary School during the Annual Bird Festival! Over the school year, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey guided third graders at Ridge Street Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey through an exploration of the state’s fascinating birds as part of the Soaring with STEAM curriculum. Students delved into the lives of ospreys, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and other avian species while engaging in STEM-based projects. To culminate their learning journey, the third graders organized a festival aimed at educating parents, visitors, and younger students about the diverse birdlife in New Jersey.

Continue reading “Third Grade Students Host the Annual Bird Festival at Ridge Street Elementary School”

by Rachel McGovern, Director of Education

CWF’s “Howls for Owls” event at Screamin’ Hill Brewery in Cream Ridge, New Jersey was certainly among our most fun fall activities. Owl enthusiasts flocked to this 170-acre farm for an evening of family-friendly activities in celebration of barn owls. Children and adults alike enjoyed dissecting owl pellets, creating owl masks, making adorable pinecone owls, and participating in three rounds of owl-themed trivia. Many attendees even came dressed in owl costumes!

Activities were designed to be fun and to teach attendees about owl adaptations. Owl pellet dissection was one of the most popular things to do. Children and their parents often worked together to extract all the bones found within a pellet and figure out what the owl had consumed.

Kids also made special owl masks with tubes around the eyes to mimic the oblong shape of an owl’s eye. Owl eyes are fixed in place and shaped more like a doorknob or tube than a sphere. When the mask is on, kids discover that they can only see in front of them and must rotate their heads around to look from side to side- just like an owl. Because owls cannot move their eyes, they are adapted to turn their head about 270 degrees around!

Continue reading ““Howls for Owls” Draws Wildlife Fans to Screamin’ Hill Brewery”

By Todd Pover, Senior Wildlife Biologist

CWF had a busy summer at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences (LBIF), having launched a new partnership this year to help strengthen their science programming through a grant from the Osprey Foundation. A number of offerings targeting both adults and kids, highlighted by three week-long science camps for ages 7-9 and 10-12, were developed and led by CWF’s staff. The LBIF facility, with its close proximity to both the ocean and bay, is an ideal location to feature New Jersey’s coastal species and their unique conservation challenges.

Continue reading “A New Science Partnership Grows on Long Beach Island”