Habitat-Niche Takes Top Honors

Habitat Niche: Places to Go, Things to Do was awarded Best Children's Program at the 28th Annual International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF). The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, along with Wide Eye Productions, produced the 12-minute video. Habitat-Niche introduces children to the idea that if animals had business cards, it would make it easier to understand them and their role in nature. "Habitat" is where an animal lives and "niche" is how the animal fits there. For example if a bear had a business card, it may read like this: Black Bear, Chief Berry Picker, U.S. National Forest, Never Gripe When They're Ripe'. Amazing wildlife video is mixed with scenes featuring school age kids to illustrate concepts such as habitat fragmentation, invasive species and adaptation. This fast-paced, vibrant video is targeted at primary classrooms. "The International Wildlife Film Festival is the longest-running wildlife film festival in the world, has the most rigorous judging process and award standards of any wildlife film festival in the world," festival associate Lisa Kerscher said. "The fact that your film, Habitat-Niche, has achieved major recognition this year, is a testament to the quality of your work and your film in particular." "We wanted to create a video that explained a complicated wildlife concept in a manner that both educated and entertained school children. So we included kids in the video and strived to keep the script humorous and fast paced, but still instructive," Kevin Frailey, Idaho Fish and Game conservation educator, said. The International Wildlife Film Festival takes place April 30-May 7 in Missoula, Montana. The week includes film making workshops and screenings of the festival's winners in each category. IWFF judges look for excellence in these broad categories: biological accuracy, technical achievement, aesthetic presentation and educational value. 90 films were selected as preliminary finalists before awarding the winners in each category. Habitat Niche: Places to Go, Things to Do was also the basis for a call-in children's show called Dialogue for Kids on Idaho Public Television. The call-in program and a corresponding web page of lesson plans can be viewed on Idaho Public Television's website at: http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season5/habitat/ For more information on the videotape Habitat Niche: Places to Go, Things to Do call 208-287-2889.