ESSAY CONTEST: The deadline looms for the Hometown 
Horned Lizard Essay Contest ... we'll tell you more on 
Passport to Texas
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Where have all the horned lizards gone? Elementary 
school students can help Texas Parks and Wildlife find 
out by participating in the Fifth Annual Hometown 
Horned Lizard Essay Contest.

"It's set up for grades three to five, six to eight and nine to 
twelve."

Marsha Reimer coordinates the Nature Tracker program 
at Parks and Wildlife. Deadline for essay submissions is 
February 1. Students may participate in the contest as a 
group or as individuals.

"No matter how they do it, they will go out and research what 
happened to the horned lizards within their community and get 
insight into what may have happened in the past."

Biologists use the information to help them understand 
why the state lizard has experienced a dramatic decline 
over the years. 

"The essays have given us some information on what possibly 
may be going on with horned lizards throughout the state. Like, 
many of them have found the possibility that the introduced fire 
ant might be causing the decline of the horned lizards 
throughout the state, and also possibly pesticides. But a major 
one that they found was changes in habitat."

Submission deadline is February 1. Find all the 
information you need on the Texas Parks and Wildlife 
Web site. 

That's our show for today ... For Texas Parks and 
Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti.