Billboards in the Great Lakes region will soon feature a Louisiana high school senior’s prize-winning painting of a “silent invader.”
Monika Daniels' prize-winning painting of a largemouth bass swimming through zebra mussels. Photo: Wildlife Forever
Monika Daniels’ painting of a largemouth bass swimming through zebra mussel infested waters will be used to remind Great Lakes boaters how to prevent the spread of invasive species.
Daniels won an art contest held by Wildlife Forever, a Minnesota-based nonprofit conservation group that supports environmental education. This is the first year the group’s K-12 State-Fish Art Contest had a category dedicated to invasive species.
Contestants also write an essay explaining what they’ve learned about how invasive species harm fish and their habitats and how that’s represented in their artwork.
The group has a free lesson plan for educators called Fish-On! that is a larger component to the art contest, said Pat Conzemius, the program manager and the director of Invasive Species Programs at Wildlife Forever.
Students learn about fish habitat and biology. They also learn about invasive species, and how to avoid spreading invasive species, he said.
A preview of the Invader Crusader billboard. Photo: Wildlife Forever
Wildlife Forever plans on having Daniels’ artwork on a billboard by July 4.
Organizers will soon decide which state from which to launch it, said Conzemius.
Wildlife Forever’s Threat Campaign is designed to help stop the spread of invasive species. Its target audience is boaters, hunters and fishermen.
The group uses public service announcements, print and TV ads and billboards.
The campaign has billboards in Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa. By the end of July, it will have billboards in every Great Lakes state, Conzemius said.
There are currently no plans for a campaign in Canada.