Salt Flat, Texas – Public lands are the best places to enjoy your time outdoors! Whether you like to hike and explore the wilds of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, or ride mountain bikes through the Bureau of Land Management public trails, public lands are here for you to enjoy! This year Guadalupe Mountains is partnering with the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to celebrate recreation on public lands. Guadalupe Mountains is proud to host our annual youth poster contest with the theme of “Recreation for All!” Bring your sense of adventure and creativity, come discover the outdoors and enter the contest. Public lands offer many opportunities for healthy outdoor discovery; hiking, fishing, camping, caving, wildlife viewing, boating and cycling. These are just a few of the many ways you can experience public lands.
From January – April 30, 2020, youth ages 6-17 years can submit artwork they have created to show their favorite recreational activity on public lands. The contest is FREE to enter. Participants can draw or paint their favorite memory of exploring public lands through the many different recreational opportunities. If you like to hike, bike, fish, photograph, explore caves, or even draw as you relax outdoors; recreate your experience on paper or canvas and enter the contest. However you wish to express yourself, the memory does not have to take place at Guadalupe Mountains or on BLM lands. Although we encourage you to come for a visit! To help plan your visit go to our website at www.nps.gov/gumo or www.blm.gov/programs/recreation. All poster submissions must be on at least an 8 1/2″ x 11″ poster board or paper. Suggested media can be crayons, pastels, acrylic paint, color pencils, markers, pen and ink or tempera paint.
Entries can be delivered to the Pine Springs Visitor Center in the park, Carlsbad National Park Headquarters in Carlsbad, New Mexico or mailed to: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Attn: 2020 Poster Contest – 400 Pine Canyon Drive, Salt Flat, Texas 79847. The winning entry will receive prizes from Western National Parks Association and the winning art will be featured on the 2021 Guadalupe Mountains Annual Park Pass. Honorable mentions, prizes and recognition will also be awarded in three age categories. Check the website for information about prizes and contest rules at www.nps.gov/gumo.
For updates on the status of the contest and current entries follow Guadalupe Mountains National Park on Facebook at www.facebook.com/guadalupe.mountains , Twitter at http://twitter.com/GuadalupeMtnsNP and Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/guadalupemountainsnps/ .