Columbia, SC—Two Richland County students have been awarded state recognitions in the “Local Heroes: Your Hardworking Pollinators” conservation poster contest, sponsored by the South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts.  State winners receive cash awards and will now advance to the national competition, sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts.  Winners are:

Joseph Ravindran, 3rd Grade	Hailey Ann Chaisson, 8th Grade

• Joseph Ravindran is the state winner in the 2^nd-3^rd grade category.  Joseph, now a 4^th grader at Forest Lake Elementary School, participated in the contest as a 3^rd grader at Pontiac Elementary School.
• Hailey Ann Chaisson is the state winner in the 7^th-9^th grade category.  Hailey, now a 9^th grader at Blythewood High School, was an 8^th grader at Longleaf Middle School when she participated in the contest. 

Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, hummingbirds, and bats can be considered heroes because of the many ecosystem services they perform. Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce, and approximately one in three mouthfuls of food and drink requires a pollinator for its production. Pollinators contribute more than 24 billion dollars to the US economy; honey bees alone account for more than 15 billion dollars. Mammals from voles to grizzly bears depend on insect-pollinated fruits and seeds, and one-fourth of all birds consume the fruits and seeds of plants that depend on animal pollinators. Pollinators themselves are an important part of the food web and are eaten by animals such as birds, lizards, and spiders.

The Conservation Poster Contest is an annual education initiative sponsored by local conservation districts with state and national coordination.  The 2016 Poster Contest theme will be announced in December.  For more information about the Conservation Poster Contest and other educational programs of the Richland SWCD, visit www.rcgov.us/rswcd or contact Chanda Cooper at (803) 576-2084. 

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Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of state government under the local direction of five-member Boards of Commissioners.  The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the wise use of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.  More information is available online at www.rcgov.us/rswcd.

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