WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN – The Wildlife Forever Fish Art Contest has joined with the Western Native Trout Initiative to highlight the diversity of native trout in the western United States. This partnership will connect youth to the assortment of native trout utilizing the Art of Conservation®.

In honor of this alliance, the Fish Art Contest has a new Western Native Trout Award. Young people interested in competing for this award should select one of the 14 trout species native to the western United States listed on the Official Fish List. Winners will be selected in four grade categories, Kindergarten-3rd grade, 4th-6th grade, 7th-9thgrade, and 10th-12th grade and awarded a prize package from the Western Native Trout Initiative.

The Western Native Trout Initiative is a program of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and a public-private partnership under the National Fish Habitat Partnership. The Initiative works across 12 western states to conserve 21 native trout/char species regarded as icons of the American West.

“The Western Native Trout Initiative is proud to support a program that fosters the development of deep connections to the outdoors. The United States is home to a variety of unique trout species, highlighting them in the Fish Art Contest will share their story with thousands of young people around the world,” said Therese Thompson of the Western Native Trout Initiative.

Julia Luger, Education and Communication Director of Wildlife Forever commented “The connections created through this contest lure young people to become stewards of the outdoors. The Western Native Trout Initiative is responsible for preserving and restoring the populations of thousands of native trout, we look forward to shining a light on these important species.”

The 2021 Fish Art Contest is now open and accepting entries. To learn more about the Western Native Trout Award, visit www.FishArt.org. The deadline to enter is March 31st, 2021, so start creating today!

About the Fish Art Contest: The award-winning Wildlife Forever Fish Art™ Contest, with support from Title Sponsor Bass Pro Shops, the USDA Forest Service and Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, brings children, art and aquatic conservation together! The annual contest reaches thousands of youth each year. New distance learning resources allow students to participate from home or classroom and complement a wide array of educational programming. To enter, young artists create an original illustration of any fish from the Official Fish list and written words detailing its habitat, and efforts to conserve it. Entries are categorized in four grade levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Educators nationwide utilize Fish On!, the full-color Fish Art Lesson Plan, integrating the disciplines of science and art. Entries are due postmarked or emailed by March 31st each year. www.FishArt.org

About Wildlife Forever: Our mission is to conserve America's wildlife heritage through conservation education, preservation of habitat and management of fish and wildlife. Wildlife Forever is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to investing resources on the ground. Recent audits reveal that 94% of every dollar supports our award-winning conservation programs. Please, Join Today and learn more about the Fish Art Contest™, Clean Drain Dry Initiative™ and Prairie City USA® at www.WildlifeForever.org.

About the Western Native Trout Initiative: An Initiative of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA), the Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) is also recognized as a National Fish Habitat Partnership by the National Fish Habitat Partnership Program. Since its inception in 2006, WNTI has directed almost $5.5 million in federal fish habitat funds leveraged to $38 million public and private matching dollars for 187 priority native trout conservation projects. With the collaboration and coordination of our partners, together we have removed 116 barriers to fish passage, reconnected or improved 1,398 miles of native trout habitat, and placed 38 protective fish barriers to conserve important native trout conservation populations in 12 western states, including Alaska. www.westernnativetrout.org

Contact: Julia Luger, JLuger@WildlifeForever.org