CAMROSE, ALBERTA, CANADA, Jan. 6, 2014 -- An annual contest engaging students to develop new ideas in helping preserve and improve their local watersheds is now underway in Alberta, Canada.
Formed by Agrium Inc. (TSX:AGU) (NYSE:AGU) and the Battle River Watershed Alliance, the CARING FOR OUR WATERSHEDS program is an environmental educational competition that partners with communities to encourage creativity and reward students for the solutions they identify toward local watershed issues. Each year, Agrium invites students to submit proposals that answer the question, "What can you do to improve your watershed?"
"The creativity and engagement this contest creates for students is beneficial for our watershed and its communities," said Nathalie Stanley, Battle River Watershed Alliance education coordinator. "Involving our younger generation in environmental conservation benefits us all. The students' ideas to make our communities better places to live are truly inspiring, and we are here to help them turn those ideas into reality."
Youth in grades 7-12 interested in helping the environment can submit their ideas to the Caring for our Watersheds program for a chance to win $1,000 for themselves and $1,000 for their school or club. Over $15,000 in cash awards are available, plus an additional $10,000 in funding is also available to help implement the contest ideas.Last year, Maven Boddy and the Golden Prairie 4H club in Forestburg, Alberta, made a difference on the Battle River by planting native trees and shrubs along the riparian area. Her group learned about watersheds and riparian areas before the planting day and further educated their community about the importance of well-vegetated riparian areas in reducing erosion and improving water quality and fish habitats.
The entry deadline for students living in Central Alberta (which includes everyone living within Alberta borders north of the city of Calgary) is Thursday, April 3, 2014. The top 10 finalists will be judged by the community and rewarded for their efforts. Contest winners will be announced on Saturday, May 10. For more information, visit www.CaringForOurWatersheds.com
About Agrium:
Agrium Inc. is a major retail supplier of agricultural products and services in Australia and North and South America and a leading global producer and marketer of agricultural nutrients and industrial products. Agrium produces and markets three primary groups of nutrients: nitrogen, phosphate and potash as well as controlled release fertilizers and micronutrients. Agrium's strategy is to grow through incremental expansion of its existing operations and acquisitions as well as the development, commercialization and marketing of new products and international opportunities. Contact us at: www.agrium.com.
About the Battle River Watershed Alliance:
The Battle River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) is an inclusive, collaborative and consensus-based community partnership that is working to guide, support and deliver actions to sustain or improve the health of the Battle River watershed. We will seek to achieve this through knowledgeable community participation and an adaptive approach.
The Battle River Watershed Alliance represents four orders of government (First Nations, municipal, provincial and federal), watershed groups, environmental organizations, industry, academia and private citizens in a collaborative initiative to plan for the sustainable management of land and water resources in the Battle River Watershed.
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