Bronx, NY – (December 16, 2009) – On Sunday, December 27th, The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo will host its first ice carving competition ever. The Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Competition, presented by Food Network, will feature fifteen professional ice carvers who will be given four hours and 600 pounds of ice to create their unique vision of wildlife.  

The winning sculptures will be chosen by a combination of public voting and a panel of four judges that will include two Wildlife Conservation Society representatives; Paul Magnaldi, Ice Scuptures of New York; and celebrity guest Susie Fogelson, judge on The Next Food Network Star. Judging criteria includes technique, creativity, animal likeness, design composition, and overall look.
 
Who:      15 professional ice carvers
               Wildlife Conservation Society representatives
               Susie Fogelson, judge of The Next Food Network Star
               Paul Magnaldi, Ice Sculptures of New York     
               Mark Crouthamel, Sculpted Ice Works
 
What:     Food Network presents
               Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Competition
              
Where:   WCS’s Bronx Zoo
               2300 Southern Blvd.
               Bronx, NY
               Pepsi Pavilion at the Dancing Crane Cafe
 
When:    Sunday, December 27, 2009
              11:00am – 3:00pm; live ice sculpting
              3:00 pm – 4:00pm; judging
              4:00 pm; announcement of results
 
The first 1,200 attendees will receive a free demo copy of Food Network’s new Wii game “Cook or Be Cooked” and will have the opportunity to have them autographed by celebrity judge Susie Fogelson.
 
The completed wildlife ice sculptures will be kept on display at WCS’s Bronx Zoo for the following week and a “people’s favorite” will be chosen by online vote at www.bronxzoo.com. Those that participate in the online voting will be entered into a drawing to win one of a variety of additional prizes.
 
MEDIA NOTE(S):

• Members of the media are encouraged to arrive between 2:00pm and 4:00pm when representatives will be available for interview.
  

• Media who wish to attend the event should contact Max Pulsinelli 718-220-5182 or Steve Fairchild 718-220-5189 so that parking and park transportation can be arranged.
  

Directions to the WCS’s Bronx Zoo - Rainey Gate
From Manhattan:
Take the Triborough or Willis Avenue Bridge to the Bruckner Expressway East.
Take the Bronx River Parkway North to Exit 7W (Fordham Rd.)
Take the first ramp on your right (in front of the New York Botanical Garden).
Turn left at the light (on the corner by Fordham University) and left again back onto Fordham Rd.
Turn right at the blinking light into Rainey Gate. This is a big, ornate gate with animals on it.

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

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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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Food Network (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network and Web site that strives to be way more than cooking. The network is committed to exploring new and different ways to approach food - through pop culture, competition, adventure, and travel - while also expanding its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and averages more than 9 million unique Web site users monthly. Food Network programming is available internationally in more than 150 countries. Food Network is headquartered in New York, and maintains offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Tenn. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com) Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and Fine Living Network (www.fineliving.com), is the manager and general partner.