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2015 World Wetlands Day Coloring Contest Winners
Jean Aycock, KWEC Education Director
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Winners Melissa Gutierrez and Roxana Rodriguez from Great Bend Riley Elementary display their certificates and birdhouses (Not pictured, Rachael McReynolds).

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.