Sara Garcia, a third grader at J.M. Odom Elementary School, placed third in Colquitt County in the Middle South Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District poster contest.

TIFTON — A J.M. Odom Elementary School student has won the District Poster Contest sponsored by the Middle South Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District.

Natalia Hernandez, a third grader at the school near Berlin, was also the first place winner at the county level. Her poster will be submitted to compete in the State Poster Contest, according to a press release from the conservation district.

In addition, the second and third place county winners were also from J.M. Odom Elementary. Both Liah Luna, second place winner, and Sara Garcia, third place winner, are in the third grade there.

The Middle South Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), a local agency dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of the area’s natural resources, recently held the annual poster contest for second and third grade students within the district’s nine-county area. This year’s contest theme was “One Water.”

“Education is a critical element of the conservation effort at the local, state and national levels,” the press release said. “Educating young people about the benefits of conservation helps to ensure the next generation will be wise stewards of America’s natural resources.”

The Middle South Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District is a unit of state government that directs natural resource management programs in Ben Hill, Brooks, Colquitt, Crisp, Irwin, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth counties. The Conservation District works with farmers, landowners, and with other units of government to educate and actively promote programs and practices that support the conservation, and use and development of soil, water, and related resources. More information can be found at there.