The Kansas Wetlands Education Center announces the winners of the 2016 World Wetlands Day Coloring Contest. Nearly 400 second graders completed a coloring sheet featuring a Black Bullhead Catfish, one of several catfish species commonly found in Kansas.  
World Wetlands Day is Feb. 2, and is organized by Ramsar, the organization that has designated Cheyenne Bottoms a “Wetland of International Importance.” The theme for 2016’s World Wetlands Day was “Wetlands for Our Future – Sustainable Livelihoods.”  
The best coloring sheet from each participating class was chosen, and winners received a certificate, a KWEC tote bag, a poster from Chickadee Checkoff, and a Top 20 Birds of Cheyenne Bottoms card.  
The winners are: GB Lincoln – Kylee Smith and Naima Zapata; GB Riley – Rachael McReynolds, Melissa Gutierrez, and Roxana Rodriguez; GB Eisenhower – Courtney Bryant Jr and Elle Damm; GB Jefferson – Kylea McMullen and Addyson Bruce; GB Park – Jennifer Palacio; Holy Family – Alyssa McCauley and Ava Kaiser; St. Joseph School in Ellinwood – Isaiah Steele; Ellinwood Grade School – Emma Clemons; Hoisington Roosevelt – Taylen Morales, Mason Martin, and Rylee Vaughn; Central Plains Elementary – Anahi Favela and Fabian Lopez.
Great Bend Community Coordinator, Christina Hayes, worked with area businesses to display the coloring sheets from Feb. 2 to Feb. 16: BassX Auto Sound, the Great Bend Tribune, Gambino’s Pizza, OPI, Yours Truly, P&S Security, Jazzercise, Defy Expectations, Rana Luna Boutique, ShoeSensation, and the Great Bend Public Library.