The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership (UWP) will award a total of $550 to winners in the Youth Art & Poetry Contest with the theme All of Us Can Help Keep Rivers Clean: Let’s prevent nonpoint source pollution! Five young people, ages 4 to 13 years old, won certificates and cash prizes in the contest, funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Connor Strength won 1st Place and $200 for his acrylic on wood board painting, “Stay on the Trail!” Elias Strength won 2nd Place and $100 with his poetic narrative, “Wildfire.” Emma B. won 3rd place and $50 for her poem, “Nonpoint Pollution.”
The contest was held in conjunction with the 2026 Ridgway RiverFest, where the artwork and poems were displayed on June 27. While first through third place and honorable mentions were decided by four judges, festivalgoers voted on the Ridgway RiverFest People’s Choice Award ($150), which was won by Emma B.
Winning Honorable Mentions and $25 each were Quinn O’Doniel for her color drawing, “Happy Rivers, Happy Hearts,” and Isla Combs for her poem, “I Watch The River As It Flows.”
Nonpoint source pollution, or water pollution that does not originate from a single, distinct source, such as a pipe, is an ongoing threat to water quality in the state of Colorado. The contest was designed to raise awareness about the challenges faced by waterways and opportunities to reduce the impacts of harmful nonpoint source pollutants such as sediment, chemicals, bacteria, erosion, and post-wildfire runoff.
The four judges, selecting first place through honorable mentions, were children’s book author and former UWP staff member Pamela Cannalte, Ridgway Elementary School teacher Krista Javoronok, nonpoint source program staff member Christa Trendle, and Telluride Mountain School teacher Haley Wilbanks.
Stay on the Trail! By Connor Strength
(Colorado’s Recreational Impact on Water Pollution) – acrylic paint on wood board
Artist’s Statement: This painting represents a popular recreational activity that many locals/tourists enjoy near where I live in the Western Slope. People come from many places in the country to experience driving side-by-sides, ATVs, and jeeps in our San Juan Mountains. It is a beautiful place to see nature and the natural history of this area. Unfortunately, driving in the mountains can have many negative impacts on our ecosystem, including water pollution in our rivers that end up killing aquatic plants and species due to rain/snow washing pollutants from off-road vehicles into the water. Learning about why we should all stay on trail will help people make better decisions to keep our rivers clean.
I remember when my family used to ride our Rzr on the Alpine Loop, and my dad told us that we should always stay on trail and not ride off-trail to see other interesting things. He said that even getting off the Rzr and walking around (like on the alpine tundra) can destroy habitats and food for other species, even if it doesn’t look like much. I didn’t understand this at the time, but now I learned about non-point source pollution (NSP) and how recreational impacts of driving off-trail can pollute our rivers by:
- Driving over natural landscape can crush topsoil and destroy roots and vegetation that hold soil together to prevent erosion near rivers. I showed this in my painting.
- Brake dust, antifreeze leaks, microplastics, and even broken parts from off-road vehicles can get washed down into rivers/streams and make the water cloudy. This blocks the sunlight for growing aquatic plants and it will clog fish gills which will cause fish to die. I also showed this in my painting.
The “Stay on Trail” signs in my painting is a reminder for drivers to do the right thing, but I think a better idea would be for side-by-side/jeep rental owners to give out a pamphlet titled “Why NOT go off-trail?” so that people read and learn about why and how their actions can pollute Colorado’s rivers. Then, they won’t make mistakes by accident. They will actually have the knowledge to help and even share this information with friends and family.
Of Stay on the Trail!, one judge wrote: “I was impressed with this artist’s clear environmental message, personal and local relevance, educational value and use of medium, which complements the environmental theme. This artwork succeeds in raising awareness about the environmental impacts of off-road recreation and encourages responsible behavior.”
Another judge wrote: “I especially loved the ‘Stay on the Trail’ artwork and narrative because it drew from the artist’s own experiences, illustrating how lessons shared from parent to child grow in meaning through lived experience. That same personal connection is how awareness of nonpoint source pollution is passed from one generation to the next, fostering a lasting appreciation for protecting our water resources.”
Wildfire By Elias Strength (a poetic narrative)
Judges’ comments: “This poem succeeds in blending environmental education with poetic storytelling, offering both a warning and a call to action. Its strengths lie in its perspective, structure and message.”
“I especially appreciated ‘Wildfire’ for its beautiful and thought-provoking storytelling, highlighting a devastating form of nonpoint source pollution that is becoming increasingly common. By telling the story from the river’s perspective, the poem creatively illustrates how a single action can cause lasting damage that takes years to repair, while reminding us that although human actions can harm our natural resources, they also hold the power to restore and protect them for future generations.”
“I think the concepts and lessons in this poem are one of the most important things for a human being to wrap their head around these days. We are all connected through our water systems, and everything we do plays such an important part in the conservation of them. This was a really wise and thoughtful piece and it gives me hope that kids in our watersheds are thinking this way!”
“I appreciated the message and the creative use of multiple visual elements to illustrate the broader effects of wildfire on rivers. The work effectively connected environmental processes to their impacts on local waterways, creating a thoughtful and engaging piece.”
Nonpoint Pollution By Emma B.
Judges’ comments: “I especially appreciated the poem ‘Nonpoint Pollution’ for its creativity and effectiveness in weaving together the causes, impacts, and solutions to nonpoint source pollution into a single, engaging piece. The thoughtful decision to arrange the poem in the shape of a river further reinforced its message, making the work both visually compelling and memorable.”
“I appreciated the way the artist used poetry to communicate factual information about river pollution in an engaging and meaningful way. The river-shaped layout of the poem was a thoughtful creative choice that reinforced the theme.”
One festivalgoer voting on the People’s Choice Award commented that Nonpoint Pollution “stands out because it takes a complicated environmental problem and turns it into a story that actually makes you feel something. It perfectly maps out how trash and chemicals from our daily lives end up hurting local wildlife, but it doesn’t just leave you feeling sad—it ends with a really inspiring reminder that we can actually fix it. It captures exactly what the contest is all about by showing that simple, everyday actions from regular people can save a river.”
Happy Rivers, Happy Hearts By Quinn O’Doniel
Artist’s Statement: My picture has robot monsters and lots of hearts. They love rivers and want to help keep the water clean. When water is clean, fish are happy and can splash. We can help by putting trash in the trash, don’t get off the trails, and doing kind things for nature. The hearts give love for rivers, fish, frogs, and all the animals that live in the waters. We gotta help keep rivers clean so the fish can smile and dance. I love the water.
Judges’ comments: “This child’s drawing stands out for its creativity and heartfelt message! The drawing effectively communicates the importance of caring for rivers and aquatic life, using symbols like hearts to represent love and kindness toward nature.”
“I love the sentiment, I love the honesty of the message and the smile it brings to my face.”
“I liked the sweet message this youngster was portraying in their art.”
I Watch the River as it Flows By Isla Combs
Judges’ comments: “I really loved the ending of this poem and how the poet brings it back to what I’m doing right now…thinking of poetry! I appreciated that the poet also ended with a feeling of drifting along and peaceful – what a wonderful place to be. Thanks for bringing us there!”
What have you learned? How have you changed?
Please help UWP and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment understand how much the contest raised awareness and increased interest, involvement and knowledge of water quality and impacts of nonpoint sources of pollution by taking a short survey.
