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<span style="margin:0px;font-size:12pt">There's still time before the December 15 deadline to enter the American Icons art contest! We're hoping for great turnout from across the country and US territories, to help the Plant Conservation Alliance celebrate
25 years of collaboration for our native plants! See the <span data-markjs="true" class="mark3g9phb22v" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb="" style="margin: 0px;">flyer</span> for details.</span><br>
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Please share with your student networks!</div>
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<span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black"><b>Additional Info about the art contest: </b></span></p>
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<i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">Do you have children or work with children interested in plants, art, and creative writing? We need your help to design a commemorative
coin that honors iconic plants native to the United States!</span></i><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:rgb(32, 31, 30)"> </span></p>
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<i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">Plants play an important role in our nation’s ecosystems while also being symbols of local cultural heritage, defining the character
of places, and influencing our experiences with the natural world where we live, work, and play. </span></i></p>
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<span style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">To celebrate 25 years of<span> </span></span></i></span><span style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">advancing
plant conservation and promoting native plant community restoration, the Plant Conservation Alliance has teamed up with the<span> </span><span data-markjs="true" class="mark3cme1v2dx" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb="" style="margin:0px">Fairchild</span><span> </span>Tropical
Botanic Garden on a national artwork competition as part of this year’s 2021-2022<span> </span><span data-markjs="true" class="mark3cme1v2dx" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb="" style="margin:0px">Fairchild</span><span> </span>Challenge! </span></i></span></p>
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<span style="margin:0px"><b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">The National Challenge American Icons Commemorative Coin Competition: </span></i></b></span></p>
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<span style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">School-age children will nominate a plant that symbolizes the uniqueness of America’s landscapes by creating
an illustration that showcases your plant.<span> </span></span></i></span><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">The selection should not be limited to the region in which
the entrant lives but must be native to anywhere in the United States or its Territories. Drawings must include a written description explaining why you selected this plant and how it is representative of the region’s cultural and natural heritage. Regional
champions will undergo a national runoff to select the plant image we will use on a 2-inch commemorative coin! </span></i></p>
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<b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">Who can participate?</span></i></b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black"><span> </span> </span></i></p>
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<i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">Any child in a private, public or homeschool may participate. The challenge is aimed at school-age learners (preK-12<sup>th</sup><span> </span>grade)
and can be completed as an individual or as a group (up to 5 people). Teachers or the supervising adult must submit the entry and are encouraged to review the complete entry requirements as well as the evaluation sheet to assist in guiding the development
of the submission.</span></i><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:rgb(32, 31, 30)"> </span></p>
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<i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black"> </span></i></p>
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<i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">SEE COMPLETE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS on our<span> </span></span></i><span style="margin:0px;color:black"><a href="https://fairchildgarden.org/science-and-education/learn/the-fairchild-challenge/national-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1" style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif">National
Challenge Portal</span></i></a></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:rgb(32, 31, 30)"> </span></p>
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<i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black"> </span></i></p>
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<b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">Deadline: </span></i></b></p>
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<i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">The entry for this challenge must be submitted by a supervising adult to through our<span> </span></span></i><span style="margin:0px;color:black"><a href="https://fairchildgarden.org/science-and-education/learn/the-fairchild-challenge/national-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2" style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif">National
Challenge Portal</span></i></a></span><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black"><span> </span>by Wednesday, December 15, 2021 by 5:00 pm.</span></i><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:rgb(32, 31, 30)"> </span></p>
<ul style="font-family:"Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);margin-bottom:0in">
<li><b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-variant:small-caps;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">About the PCA:<span> </span></span></i></b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">A
collaboration among U.S. federal agencies and nonfederal partners who share the common goal to protect, conserve, and restore our national plant heritage for generations to come. Learn<span> </span></span></i><span style="margin:0px;color:black"><a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy/pca" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3" style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif">more</span></i></a></span><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></i></li><li><b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-variant:small-caps;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">About the<span> </span><span data-markjs="true" class="mark3cme1v2dx" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb="" style="margin:0px">Fairchild</span><span> </span>Challenge:<span> </span></span></i></b><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black">The<span> </span><span data-markjs="true" class="mark3cme1v2dx" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb="" style="margin:0px">Fairchild</span><span> </span>Challenge
is an award-winning environmental science competition designed to engage PreK – 12th grade students with the natural world. Learn<span> </span></span></i><span style="margin:0px;color:black"><a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffairchildgarden.org%2Fscience-and-education%2Flearn%2Fthe-fairchild-challenge%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cmargaret_park%40fws.gov%7C23b7baa657ed4da758f308d97e8f8558%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C637679977155520193%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=IuJgFePZaiDgso5bBqeAm3XrnSi0u4EiYIjMevTjxnc%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="4" style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif">more</span></i></a></span><i><span style="margin:0px;padding:0in;border:1pt none windowtext;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;color:black"><span> </span> </span></i></li></ul>
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