Princeton NJ Schools Press Releases

Fifth Grade Art Show at D&R Greenway's Olivia Rainbow Student Gallery

D&R Greenway Land Trust invites the public to its Olivia Rainbow
Student Gallery to savor winning student art and essays by fifth grade
students, one from each New Jersey county.  These annual exhibitions are
sponsored by Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.  This year's
attracted over 2000 fifth-graders, each of whom researched, then created
artworks and essays on threatened and endangered Garden State wildlife.  The
Olivia Rainbow Gallery was founded in memory of young Olivia Kuenne, to whom
nature and art were vitally important, by her parents Leslie and Christopher
Kuenne.  The art may be viewed on business hours of business days through
the end of December.

The Mercer County Winner is Angela Guo of The Village School, West Windsor.
Angela's entry is the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle.  Her lively image was
selected as front page artwork for the 2012 calendar, which may be ordered
through Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey,
www.conservewildlifenj.org

Other local county winners include the Red-headed Woodpecker by Hunterdon
County's Sam Zeloof, of Delaware Township School in Sergeantsville; and
Middlesex County's Anna Shpilsky's Piping Plover with Eggs and Chicks.  Anna
is a student of Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley, East
Brunswick.  Somerset County's winner is the Piping Plover with Seashells by
Jennifer Huang of Mount Prospect School, Basking Ridge. 

For this contest, artists serve as jurors; scientists judge essays.
Twenty-one counties are represented.  The purpose of this program, with its
subsequent exhibits throughout the state, is to educate students on the
plight and importance of New Jersey's threatened and endangered species.

Created in 1998, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ protects and
preserves rare and imperiled species of wildlife that live, breed, and
migrate through our state.  The organization restores habitat, manages
species, educates and engages citizens of all ages, and conduct research on
New Jersey's rarest wildlife residents.  

Margaret O'Gorman, Executive Director of CWF, states, "Over ten years, the
Species on the Edge Art & Essay Contest has reached tens of thousands of
fifth graders, educating them about the plight of New Jersey's rarest
wildlife species. By creating works of art and essays about New Jersey
wildlife, students work as wildlife biologists.  They may not see the animal
in the field, but they intensely research their chosen species.  Because of
this contest, students have a better understanding of the plight of our
endangered species and what we need to do to keep them in our future in our
state."  

Meanwhile, in D&R Greenway's Marie L. Matthews Galleries throughout the rest
of the Johnson Education Center are exhibited fine multi-media art of
"Friends in Field and Forest".  These electrifying works celebrate lands
protected by D&R Greenway and their preservation partners.  Some of the
properties immortalized include Greenway Meadows, Coventry Farm, Farm View
Fields, and the Institute for Advanced Study lands.  A selection honoring
the 50th anniversary of the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection's Green Acres Program showcases plein-air paintings, each created
on Green-Acres-protected properties, and some incorporating natural
materials.  All art by professional artists is for sale, a percentage
supporting D&R Greenway's preservation and Stewardship mission.

The Art Opening Reception, on Sunday, November 6 from 4 - 6, as well as
visits to both art exhibitions (business hours of business days) are free.
Call to be sure major rooms are not rented at the time of visit:
609-924-4646.  D&R Greenway is off Rosedale Road at One Preservation Place,
Princeton 08540.  [www.drgreenway.org   for directions]  

BACKGROUND
Mercer County
Angela Guo, West Windsor, Village School, Mr. Hartley

Atlantic Green Sea Turtle Essay

Imagine swimming as fast as 20 miles per hour, diving deep into the ocean,
and looking for food like jellyfish, sponges, and seaweed.  I am the green
sea turtle, peaceful, yet fast.  I am also known as Chelonea Mydas.  I live
in tropical waters, and if I want, I can hold my breath for up to five
hours.  I got my name not because I am green, but because the fat underneath
my shell is green.  I'm threatened and I need your help in order to survive!

Before people came, there were tens of millions of green turtles, but ever
since people arrived, the eggs of my ancestors were dug up to by sold and
eaten.  People also hunted us for our meat and beautiful shells.  Thank
goodness I survived through the dangers I faced like people, sharks, and
other predators

I am a female green sea turtle, so after mating, I will return to the beach
where I was hatched on. .  This trip will take six days, but I don't mind.
Then, I will go back into the ocean. Out of the 100 eggs I lay, only one
will survive.

As you can see, I am very important to the food chain.  If I die, then the
jellyfish will overpopulate and eat all the fish.  Also, the seaweed and
sponges will overpopulate and eat all the plankton.  Without me, the world
would be in peril!

Now that you know about my species, I hope you could help us by not
polluting or littering or else my species will become extinct!

D&R Greenway Land Trust:  D&R Greenway Land Trust's mission is to preserve
and protect natural lands, farm lands and open spaces throughout central and
southern New Jersey.   The land trust celebrates preservation of 23 square
miles in their 22 years.  Through contiguous preservation and stewardship
the non-profit nurtures a healthier and more diverse environment.  By
creating and maintaining trails, it provides public access to the natural
world, increasingly urgent in these technological times.  

The Johnson Education Center  is a focal point for conservation activity.
Through programs, lectures and exhibits at One Preservation Place, the
non-profit inspires a greater public commitment to safeguarding land.  Linda
Mead, President and CEO, who, since 1997, has been increasingly recognized
as a leader in creating the partnerships and orchestrating the complex
transactions that lead to preservation success.  www.drgreenway.org