ALASKA—Simply say the word “fish” and you’ve already got an Alaskan hooked, so it’s no surprise that Region 10 had a strong batch of contenders for the annual Wildlife Forever State Fish Art Contest—after all, the Alaska state fish is the King (salmon)!

Inspired in the 1990s by a fifth grader’s homework assignment, the Wildlife Forever State Fish Art Contest has grown into an annual competition that uses art to introduce young people to the importance of aquatic conservation. Students across the country submit pieces featuring important native fish in their home state and clearly indicate how their submissions relate to the fight against invasive aquatic species.

Because fish are so crucial to Alaska’s past, present and future, Forest Service employees in the Alaska Region worked with Wildlife Forever and others to create a special Alaska Fish Heritage Award for the contest.

Inspired by Alaska’s unique cultural, economic and recreational relationship with the King (Chinook) salmon, winning entries must clearly demonstrate how Alaskans interact with their state fish through sport, commercial or subsistence fishing.

By partnering with Wildlife Forever for this contest, the Forest Service was able to leverage the well-known conservation organization’s vast outreach network and more efficiently fulfill the agency’s purpose to support nature in sustaining life—and at a crucial time in the agency’s history. From spruce beetles to silver carp, national forests across the nation are being devastated by invasive species that disrupt the natural ecological balance of the forest. With climate change will come more challenges, but who knows? Maybe the adult who answers those challenges will have been inspired as a kid by contests like these.

(Agency) mission accomplished.