Davie Kalina of Monroeville is no stranger to the outdoors. The 12-year-old has been riding horses since she was 5, loves fishing and searching creek banks for crawdads and has traveled with her family to Argentina.
“For my entire life, I’ve loved being outside in nature and with animals,” Davie said.
That’s why she is in the running for a top spot in the National Wildlife Federation’s annual Junior Ranger contest, and recently finished at the top spot in her region, advancing to the quarterfinals round.
The next round of voting ends on May 21, and Davie is hoping to finish near the top in order to make it into the competition’s semifinals, where voting will run May 22-28.
“They give us ‘missions’ — to do certain things like telling people fun facts about our favorite animals on social media,” Davie said.
Her mother, Marci Belchick, said during the first part of the competition, Davie would post videos documenting their activities.
“They’ll send the kids on an ‘adventure’ where they have to fulfill certain tasks, and the people who run the program can see their progress when they post their videos,” Belchick said.
The Junior Ranger competition also works with wildlife enthusiast and TV host Jeff Corwin. Competitors garner votes to advance through each level of competition, and one winner will receive $20,000, appear in an issue of “Ranger Rick” magazine and take part in an exclusive wildlife experience with Corwin.
“The experience is even more amazing than the money,” Belchick said. “She would get to do an excursion with Jeff Corwin, and they base the trip on the different things that she’s talked about during the course of the competition. It’s kind of tailor-made for the competition winner.”
The public can cast one free vote each day and on certain days can purchase additional votes with a donation to the National Wildlife Federation.
Davie said she hopes she can come out on top.
“Being outdoors and exploring different places has been a big part of our family,” she said. “My grandmother was really enamored with animals as well and actually had raccoons as a child. I think I get it from her.”
To vote in the competition, visit Davie’s page at Jr-Ranger.org.
