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| May 22, 2002 For Immediate Release Constantine Dillon (631) 289-4810 National Park Service Announces Student Essay Contest Winners Fire Island National Seashore Superintendent Constantine Dillon is pleased to announce the winners of the recent fifth-grade essay contest: First prize went to Cara Stillwell of the Timber Point Elementary in East Islip, second went to Michael Livingston and third to Taryn Phelan, both of the Woodhull School on Fire Island. Students were judged on their essays on the topic of living with white-tailed deer as neighbors. "Congratulations to all students, teachers, and parents who participated in the contest," added Dillon. All winners received prizes related to wildlife watching: a pair of binoculars, a camera, and field guides. National Park Rangers Steve Finn and Bernie Felix conducted the contest and visited the children's schools to present the awards in person as well as to discuss the essays with the classes who had written them. The two participating schools were Woodhull School in Ocean Beach, Fire Island, and Timber Point Elementary in East Islip. In both areas deer live among suburban housing developments. A goal of the contest was to promote the awareness that living among white-tailed deer is becoming more common for Long Islanders and that people and deer are adapting to this new situation. People living in the communities on Fire Island are used to the presence of white-tailed deer, without the factor of a paved highway. Meanwhile, on mainland Long Island, communities surrounding Connetquot and Hecksher State Parks are also familiar with the presence of deer, but these places do have to be concerned about highways and deer-vehicle collisions. Some of the ideas in the essays include preventing deer from getting into residential trash cans by using secured lids, avoiding feeding the deer, and putting coyote urine on garden plants to prevent deer from eating them. Superintendent Dillon commented, "Many of the student essays demonstrated an awareness that feeding deer is not good for either the deer population or the human population. Our hope is that the children's awareness can influence their family's behavior when interacting with wildlife." To see the essays and photographs of the winners, and to learn more about deer and people, see the park website at www.nps.gov/fiis. Maria Abonnel 631-289-4810 x 228 fax 631-289-4898 maria_abonnel@nps.gov
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Revised: 01/14/2004 |
