Bronx, NY – December 27, 2009 – Today, The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo hosted its first ice carving competition. The Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Competition, presented by Food Network, featured 15 professional ice carvers who used chainsaws, power tools, and various carving instruments to bring their visions of wildlife to life.

“The Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Competition is one of many family oriented wintertime activities at WCS’s Bronx Zoo,” said Jim Breheny, WCS Senior Vice President of Living Institutions and Director of the Bronx Zoo.  “It is a fun way to educate and raise awareness about the wildlife and wild places that WCS works to save around the globe.”
 
The winner Jeff Scarpa a freelance ice carver from Connecticut created a meticulously detailed sculpture of a shark and a sea turtle above a coral reef entitled “The Bronx Sea” which landed him the top prize of $1000.
 
The $500 second prize was won by Dan Bergan from Ice Sculpture Design in Deer Park, NY for his representation of a whooping crane fleeing the jaws of a crocodile entitled “Survival.”
 
The $250 third prize went to Mark McKenzie from Cool Way Ice Creations in South Ozone Park, NY for his “Flying Fish” sculpture.
 
Each contestant was given four hours and 600 pounds of ice to work with to glistening likenesses of wildlife including giraffes, gorillas, eagles, and more.
 
The winning sculptures were chosen by a combination of public voting and a panel of four judges that included: David Powell, WCS Assistant Curator of Mammalogy; Sarah Hezel, WCS Assistant Director of Graphic Design and Production; Paul Magnaldi, Ice Sculptures of New York; and celebrity guest Susie Fogelson, judge on The Next Food Network Star. Judging criteria included technique, creativity, animal likeness, design composition, and overall look.

Photographs of the completed menagerie of wildlife ice sculptures are posted on www.bronxzoo.com  where a “people’s favorite” will be chosen by online vote.  Those that participate in the online voting will be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of a variety of additional prizes including:
 

• One grand prize - a trip for two adults and two children to visit Crystal Cabin Fever’s Caribbean in Ice, a one-of-a-kind, walk-through ice experience in the Poconos, and a two-night stay at Woodloch Resort in the Pocono Mountains.
  

• Four first prizes – a Wildlife Conservation Society membership which includes a free admission for a year to all WCS facilities (Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium).
  

• Ten second prizes – a copy of the new Food Network Wii game, “Cook or Be Cooked.”
  

Contact:
Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182 – mpulsinelli@wcs.org
Steve Fairchild: – 718-220-5189 – sfairchild@wcs.org

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The Bronx Zoo, a Wildlife Conservation Society park, is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Martin Luther King Day.  Adult admission is $15, children (3-12 years old) $11, children under 3 are free, seniors (65+) are $13. Parking is $12 for cars and $16 for buses. WCS’s Bronx Zoo is conveniently located off the Bronx River Parkway at Exit 6; by train via the #2 or #5 or by bus via the #9, #12, #19, #22, MetroNorth, or BxM11 Express Bus service (from Manhattan that stops just outside the gate.) To plan your trip, visit www.bronxzoo.com or call 718-367-1010.

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The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

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