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Bridging Futures IV Contest

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition hosted another year of the Bridging Futures contest to incorporate transportation and wildlife safety education into statewide elementary school classrooms - our annual Bridging Futures Contest.

The Bridging Futures IV Contest invites elementary school students statewide to submit art renderings and essays depicting what a wildlife crossing might look like and how they function. The statewide winner of the Bridging Futures IV Contest will have their artwork featured on a billboard in Washington State and be recognized at a special awards ceremony on June 3rd!  The idea behind this annual contest is that we tap into the creativity of statewide kids to help educate the wider driving public about the issues surrounding transportation and wildlife with a focus on a unique solution so close to home.

The Bridging Futures Contest is in its fourth year, and has received tremendous support from students, educators, and both the transportation and environmental communities.  Classrooms participated in this contest in cities across the state including Mercer Island, Spokane, Auburn, Buckley, Seattle, Yakima, and more.

Winners will be announced at an evening reception June 3, 2008 at Suncadia Resort in Roslyn, WA as part of the national Road Ecology Course being held at Snoqualmie Pass this year.  The reception is open to the public and runs from 5 to 7pm, but space is limited so RSVP's are required.  Please send inquiries or RSVP's to Jen Watkins at info@i90wildlifebridges.org 

Below are our top ten that have been sent to our judging committee.  The committee this year includes Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond, I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition Director Charlie Raines, Congressman Dave Reichert's office, Senator Patty Murray's office, and Karen Bonati of the Washington Potato Commission.

To view the winners and work from past years visit the page from Bridging Futures II and Bridging Futures III.
 

	Hector, Age 10, Auburn, WA "I think the Bridging Futures contest is a great idea because it keeps animals safe from the traffic. People that have to pick up dead animals and throw it in the trash won't have to as much. My picture shows two tunnels for the cars. Over the tunnels are grass and bushes so that the animals will want to cross the tunnels safely so that they won't get hurt or killed. I think its important to keep animals safe because some animals make new plants or something that is needed. I do like most every animal in the world. People also adore animals. Also we need animals future. Lastly, I think we can build an overpass bridge that saves our animals from traffic."
	Madelynn, Age 9, Auburn, WA "I believe helping the wildlife is a wonderful idea. My Dad was driving to work once, and he almost hit a doe. When my Dad told me, I felt sorry for her, but then he said he didn't hit her, then I felt better. That is why I think helping wildlife cross I-90 is a wonderful idea. My plan is to build a bridge that can be safe for wildlife to cross I-90. I drew a bridge with a fence, grass, some rocks, moss, and bushes. There is a pond under the road. The road is on a concrete pillars at the bottom of the pond."
	Buckley, WA
	Signe, Issaquah, WA "Dear People of Washington. Few of us know that animals are becoming fewer every day. As they attempt to cross I-90 they are hit by cars. Our roads cut through their native habitat. It is up to us to help prevent native species from dieing out. We can provide passageways so animals like bears, elk, and many others can cross. These animals are all part of the ecosystem and if one part fails so does all the others. One plant or animal species goes extinct every 20 minutes. Habitat destruction causes more death and possible extinction than anything else. Please watch the road and drive carefully. Slow down, animals are trying to cross. You can help save the animals."
	Megan, Issaquah, WA "I think that bridges and tunnels on I90 are very important because animals are just as important as humans are. Animals need a home, free space, food, clean water, and anything else we have. If I would not see very many animals I would be so sad!! The animal population would go down a lot more! If the population goes down it would affect the big picture. Bridges and tunnels can prevent animals from dying and car accidents from happening. Save the environment!"
	Madeline, Age 9, Mercer Island, WA "I think it is just plain awful to see so many dead animals on the road. Animals deserve to live just like humans. To fix the situation, I have designed a raised highway. We can build a grassland with a stream, under I-90. This would be a good solution because the road would come in no contact with the animals, and it will allow fish and salamander to cross instead of just land animals. The purpose of the drawing was to raise awareness to drivers, and help animals cross I-90 safely. I can't wait to see what a difference it makes."
	Amber, Age 10, Yakima, WA "If we don't build animal bridges, they'd get hit and the population would decrease and people would also get hurt."
	Vinney, Age 11, Yakima, WA "Wildlife bridges will help the animals cross the busy highway safely, and also protect many people that drive it."
	Cody, Age 11, Yakima, WA "The animal population is decreasing. We need the bridges so the animals' numbers will stop dropping."
	Morgan, Enumclaw, WA "I think we should have more crosses. Since animals are attracted to shiny things we should have a shiny post at each end. I also think we should not leave trash everywhere. We should have people be outside picking up trash so animals don't eat it or swallow it. I think we should put in more ponds. The animals can drink pretty much anywhere they are."

Photo below:  State Senator Linda Parlett, WSDOT Brian White, librarian Mr. Gemeinhart, and teacher Mr. Martinez awarding Brenda Medina of Mission View Elementary as one of our tied first place winners.

"Taking part in this contest was a great experience. Kids love to feel like they're making a difference and helping the world, and the i90 Wildlife Bridge contest was a perfect opportunity to get them involved. The kids really got the idea and spirit of this; when presented with the Wildlife Bridge concept, the usual response was, "well, of course! Isn't that just fair?" Its a natural fit to promote this with kids, who still value Decency above the Dollar and Common Sense above Counting Cents!"

- Dan Gemeinhart, Librarian at Mission View Elementary
 

Contest co-sponsored by:

Click here to visit their webpage.