Vermont Student Fish Art Contest Now Open
Gary Moore
February 05, 2026
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says entries are still being accepted for the 2026 Vermont Student Fish Art Contest in partnership with Wildlife Forever.
The department invites Vermont students in grades K-12 to select a fish species found in Vermont waters and submit an illustration and one-page creative essay on the species. The essay is not required for grades K-3.
“The Fish Art Contest is a way for Vermont students to use their creativity and strengthen their knowledge and connection with our environment,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Education Specialist Corey Hart.
Winners will be selected for four grade categories: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12.
Winners will receive a prize, and their art will be entered into a selection process to be featured in the department’s forthcoming 2027 Fishing Guide and Regulations publication.
Rules and information about the contest are available at https://www.theartofconservation.org/fish-art-contest.
Entries to the 2026 Vermont Student Fish Art Contest must be submitted by February 28, 2026.
Teachers who have questions may contact Corey Hart by email at Corey.Hart@vermont.gov or by phone at 802-505-5562.
Bits and Pieces
Tune in to WYKR 101.3 FM or 1100 AM on Thursday at 6 p.m. for The Outdoor Edge. Thoughts on the Out-of-Doors airs as a segment of the program. My guest will be Amy Baker who will talk about her hikes in Europe and the western U.S. this fall.
***
For a unique event and a lot of fun plan on heading to Greensboro and the Highland Center For The Arts Saturday, February 7 for Curds & Curling.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can watch the competition and even try curling yourself if you wish.
It is a day of cheese. The curling stone is a wheel of Jasper Hill’s delicious cheddar and there will be cheese tastings, warm drinks and live music as well as several warming fires.
Linda and I attended last year and greatly enjoyed the afternoon.
For tickets and more information go to https://highlandartsvt.org/.
***
New Hampshire’s 2026 moose hunt lottery is now open. The lottery entrance fee is $15 for Granite State residents and $25 for nonresidents.
New Hampshire’s 9-day moose hunt starts the third Saturday in October. This year’s hunt will run from October 17–25.
Visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/moose-hunting-new-hampshire where you can enter the New Hampshire moose hunt lottery online or print out a mail-in application. You can also pick up an application at any Fish and Game license agent, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department headquarters, or at Fish and Game regional offices.
***
A three part online training hosted by the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network will provide information on butterflies, how to identify them, how to photograph them and how to submit observations.
All butterfly enthusiasts are welcome, with or without prior experience. For more information and to register for the sessions you are interested in, visit nhbutterflies.org.
Webinars will take place February 18, March 4 and March 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on February 4, 1869: “Heavy snow storm dumped 19 inches in Stratford, NH, and 22 inches in Craftsbury, VT. Thunderstorms reported in Antrim and Goffstown, NH. Snow depths were raised to 4 to 5 feet.”
February 8, 1861: “A spectacular fall of temperatures in Hanover, NH; the thermometer fell from 37 on the afternoon of the 7th, to -32 on the morning of the 8th, 69 degrees in 18 hours.”
Parting Shots
Winter returned with a vengeance to remind us that warm spell mid month was just a tease. We have had day after day of below 0 temps and snow squalls followed by a big dump Sunday through Monday a week ago and then continued cold this past week.
All those little storms cost a lot of money and deleted salt piles. Town and state highway crews worked long hours to keep the roads safe and that meant a lot of overtime.
It costs the same to plow two inches of snow as it does a foot. The mileage and time needed are the same.
***
A friend sent me the following which I find to be quite true.
“If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy, but the same amount of snow.”
Art of Poets
***
I have spent countless hours in bobhouses, snug against the bitter cold, thus, I found the following, written by Sigurd F. Olson in The Singing Wilderness, good advice in these divisive times.
"A fish house is a fine place for visiting - not for arguments or weighty ideas, but rather for small talk, local politics and gossip, things we had seen coming in, ideas that required no effort, short simple thoughts that came as easily as breathing. This was no place for the expounding of strong, heady beliefs; such ideas need room and space in which to grow and expand."
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
The department invites Vermont students in grades K-12 to select a fish species found in Vermont waters and submit an illustration and one-page creative essay on the species. The essay is not required for grades K-3.
“The Fish Art Contest is a way for Vermont students to use their creativity and strengthen their knowledge and connection with our environment,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Education Specialist Corey Hart.
Winners will be selected for four grade categories: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12.
Winners will receive a prize, and their art will be entered into a selection process to be featured in the department’s forthcoming 2027 Fishing Guide and Regulations publication.
Rules and information about the contest are available at https://www.theartofconservation.org/fish-art-contest.
Entries to the 2026 Vermont Student Fish Art Contest must be submitted by February 28, 2026.
Teachers who have questions may contact Corey Hart by email at Corey.Hart@vermont.gov or by phone at 802-505-5562.
Bits and Pieces
Tune in to WYKR 101.3 FM or 1100 AM on Thursday at 6 p.m. for The Outdoor Edge. Thoughts on the Out-of-Doors airs as a segment of the program. My guest will be Amy Baker who will talk about her hikes in Europe and the western U.S. this fall.
***
For a unique event and a lot of fun plan on heading to Greensboro and the Highland Center For The Arts Saturday, February 7 for Curds & Curling.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can watch the competition and even try curling yourself if you wish.
It is a day of cheese. The curling stone is a wheel of Jasper Hill’s delicious cheddar and there will be cheese tastings, warm drinks and live music as well as several warming fires.
Linda and I attended last year and greatly enjoyed the afternoon.
For tickets and more information go to https://highlandartsvt.org/.
***
New Hampshire’s 2026 moose hunt lottery is now open. The lottery entrance fee is $15 for Granite State residents and $25 for nonresidents.
New Hampshire’s 9-day moose hunt starts the third Saturday in October. This year’s hunt will run from October 17–25.
Visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/moose-hunting-new-hampshire where you can enter the New Hampshire moose hunt lottery online or print out a mail-in application. You can also pick up an application at any Fish and Game license agent, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department headquarters, or at Fish and Game regional offices.
***
A three part online training hosted by the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network will provide information on butterflies, how to identify them, how to photograph them and how to submit observations.
All butterfly enthusiasts are welcome, with or without prior experience. For more information and to register for the sessions you are interested in, visit nhbutterflies.org.
Webinars will take place February 18, March 4 and March 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
***
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on February 4, 1869: “Heavy snow storm dumped 19 inches in Stratford, NH, and 22 inches in Craftsbury, VT. Thunderstorms reported in Antrim and Goffstown, NH. Snow depths were raised to 4 to 5 feet.”
February 8, 1861: “A spectacular fall of temperatures in Hanover, NH; the thermometer fell from 37 on the afternoon of the 7th, to -32 on the morning of the 8th, 69 degrees in 18 hours.”
Parting Shots
Winter returned with a vengeance to remind us that warm spell mid month was just a tease. We have had day after day of below 0 temps and snow squalls followed by a big dump Sunday through Monday a week ago and then continued cold this past week.
All those little storms cost a lot of money and deleted salt piles. Town and state highway crews worked long hours to keep the roads safe and that meant a lot of overtime.
It costs the same to plow two inches of snow as it does a foot. The mileage and time needed are the same.
***
A friend sent me the following which I find to be quite true.
“If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy, but the same amount of snow.”
Art of Poets
***
I have spent countless hours in bobhouses, snug against the bitter cold, thus, I found the following, written by Sigurd F. Olson in The Singing Wilderness, good advice in these divisive times.
"A fish house is a fine place for visiting - not for arguments or weighty ideas, but rather for small talk, local politics and gossip, things we had seen coming in, ideas that required no effort, short simple thoughts that came as easily as breathing. This was no place for the expounding of strong, heady beliefs; such ideas need room and space in which to grow and expand."
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2026 Gary W. Moore
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