Here is a great opportunity to share your own experiences of the wild places you love. Perhaps you love to hike, camp, kayak, hunt, fish, explore or capture nature through photos or art. Whatever pleasure nature brings you can be a great story to share with the world.

The “Your Lands, Your Wildlife, Your Story” contest from Defenders of Wildlife is an opportunity for fans of America’s public lands to share their stories. Six great prizes are up for grabs, including $1,000 in gift cards to REI for the best overall story.

Defenders will accept submissions through Nov. 30, 2008 at www.YourLandsYourWildlife.org or by direct mail. Submissions will be accepted in five categories: hunting, fishing, birding, wildlife watching and photography, and backcountry adventure. The contest winners will be announced in January, 2009.

Choose from one of the following categories, and in 500 words or less, tell about…

Birding: The time you got to check that rare bird off your life-list, or the one that you’re still searching for.

Fishing: What made your last fishing trip to our public lands so great: the huge fish you reeled in, the one that got away, or the other wildlife that you saw while you fished?

Hunting: A hunt on public lands that brought you within a few yards of your quarry or just closer to your hunting buddies and nature.

Outdoor Adventure: The wildlife you saw on the last peak you bagged, camping in the backcountry, or along a simple walk through the woods.

Photography/Wildlife Watching: The extraordinary wildlife you captured in a nature photograph or an interesting encounter you had while in a National Forest or on BLM lands.

I’ll just bet there are some really great stories just waiting to be told about people’s adventures in the wilderness. These lands are so very important for Life and the future, and we owe it to our children to leave them a legacy where there are plenty of wild places to visit, explore and enjoy throughout time.

These lands are bursting with wildlife. Unchecked, unsustainable development is threatening U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. Nearly 3,000 wildlife species and 10,000 plant species inhabit these 449 million acres, and they depend on these federal agencies to keep these lands healthy.

We need to present a united stand against radical exploitations upon nature. There are clean alternatives to our energy and fuel needs, and these are the areas that need to be explored and addressed in a responsible manner. Science brings us technologies which can help shape the future in a clean, positive way. Let’s hear your stories today… don’t miss the November 30th deadline to get those stories told!

Visit Your Lands, Your Wildlife, Your Story today to learn more.

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