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Ben Bouma
Runner Up-Illustration: K-3
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Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

Salt Creek tiger beetles live in two salt wetlands near Lincoln, NE. They are dangerously near extinction. We are very lucky to live near them. There were many, now because of drouts, there are very little. Salt Creek tiger beetles can only live in salt wetlands. No one knows how many were there, but now there are very little. It’s like there was 10,000 now it’s like there is 100! The Salt Creek tiger beetles still living are very lucky.

Katey Carlson
Grand Prize Co-winner- Illustration: 4-6
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How we Saved the Bugs

 "Whoosh! Hurry up! We have to go talk to old Mr. Lee! He probably has some good books we could study about the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, the bug that no one even cares about because they don’t know how the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle’s life really is!" I said to my friend Stephanie a.k.a. Steph.
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"So let’s go down to the Salt marsh first. Then, on the way to the bookstore, we can pick up Carly and Jennica to see if they want to help put the beetles somewhere away from all those dangerous chemicals that can kill them." I said.
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"But who cares about some stupid bugs?" Steph said.
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"I do! These bugs are a big deal to our environment and it’s people like you who kill them. People who don’t care about our environment. After all, how much can you pull out of the web of life before there’s no web left to live for?" I said angrily.
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"Fine! That little bug is a big deal to our environment. Let’s go and save them so we can protect things from dying so we can save us." said Stephanie.
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"Let’s stop fighting and go research for our presentation." I said in a soft voice.
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"Why do we have to do this ridiculous presentation?" she asked me.
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"Because we have to write an influential letter to the leader of our country, President George W. Bush." I exclaimed.
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What’s he going to do?" she asked in a smart kind of way.
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"Possibly put the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle on the endangered species list." I replied.
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"What’ll that do?" Stephanie asked.
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"It’ll keep people from killing the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle!" I exclaimed.
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"Let’s go to Capital Beach!" I said.
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"Fine!" she yelled.
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So we get on our bikes and start our destructive journey. Said the narrator a.k.a. me!
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Huh, huh, was the sound of Steph’s breathing. It was so loud it sounded like an elephant standing two feet away from the blazing hot sun!
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"Like you have any room to talk you have sweat dripping from the top of your forehead!" she said in a rude sort of voice.
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"Hurry we’ve got to get there fast pedal, pedal, pedal!" I yelled at her!
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"I’m pedaling as fast as I can!" she yelled back.
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"No you’re not I’ve seen you pedal faster than that!" I exclaimed.
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"When?" she asked.
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"When we went over to Jake Benne’s house to hang out!" I exclaimed.
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"So!" she said.
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"So you like him don’t you?" I asked.
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"It’s none of your business!" She exclaimed.
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"Anyway let’s go so we can get there before the construction workers come with all the bulldozers and other big machines," I said.
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"The big machines that can smush us like pancakes!" She exclaimed.
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"Don’t worry about it!" I said
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"Don’t worry about it. I’m leaving, I’m not going to risk my life for a bunch of stupid little bugs!" she exclaimed.
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"Well those stupid little bugs could make a huge difference, so why don’t you just leave?" I asked.
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"Fine!" she yelled
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"Fine! I yell as I storm off pedaling as fast as I can. Guess what, as I got to Capitol beach a stampede of bulldozers come galloping toward me as fast as they can and all of a sudden the bulldozer makes a complete stop about two feet away from where I was standing in shock, Eeek! was the sound of the bulldozer as a chubby rough looking man steps out of the door of the bulldozer and starts yelling at me in some inappropriate words I yell back, "You’re killing a bunch of innocent bugs that are a huge deal to our environment and our community."
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"Why should I care?" he asked,"Because you live in this environment and this community!"
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"Fine. He protested. you’re right and I’m wrong I’ll quit my job to find a job that can help my environment. Thanks for knocking the sense back into me! He said as he has crocodile tears streaming down his face.
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That’s my story of how we saved the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle!
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"Thank you girls and who did most of the work?" Mrs. Georgius asked.
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"It was a team project it was even work." I proclaimed.

Allison Dittman
Grand Prize Winner-Illustration: K-3
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The Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

AAAAAA!!!  The Salt Creek tiger beetle is invading Lincoln, Nebraska! The Salt Creek tiger beetle only lives in beds and clothes.  When people are ready to go to bed they find out that there is a beetle in there bed!  Help, help, help!!!  If you take a hike you will find beetles in your clothes!  Who wants to have beetles in their clothes, go take a hike!  Go outside and you’ll find beetles on the sidewalk, beetles in your hair, beetles everywhere!  Maybe if you are eating outside you might find beetles in your food, beetles in your shoes and in your socks.  Beetles in your nose may have them too.  They could be in your socks right now or biting off your toes or biting of your finger nail.  See, they’re everywhere!  They could even make a hole in your shoes right now or in your skirt or in your pencil right now or in a book.  They tuck or in your mouth biting on your teeth.  Once there were many but now there is 10 times as many beetles before or in your candy you’re eating.  Remember, beware of the beetles in your underware!

Jackson Fisher
Grand Prize Story- K-3
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Saving Tiger Beetles

One day my class went on a trip to a nature center.  We talked about how salt creek tiger beetles are almost endangered.  .		My friends and I wanted to do something to help the tiger beetles.  We decided to make a book with the help of our friend Mr. Lee. We called our book “Lincolnator: The One Bug Protection Force.”
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It was about a salt creek tiger beetle who could transform into the mighty Lincolnator.  First, he would talk to humans about not building where tiger beetles live, polluting the lakes, and taking too much salt out of the creeks.  For lots of people this took care of things.  .		But for those who wouldn’t listen, he had to use his super powers. He used his super-bug vision which helped him see wherever tiger beetles were in danger.  He used his super-tiger strength and speed to destroy the machines that were building near his home and taking salt out of the lakes.
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The book was a best seller!  We sent all of the money we earned to you so you could keep people from endangering the tiger beetles homes and help them live better.  Tiger beetles are better off now.  Thank you mister president.  I hope you liked my story.

Melissa Hopkins
Runner-Up Illustration: 4-6

What should I do?  As I was walking down the salt basins, I see a little gold coin!  I crouch down to pick it up.  As I do, I see it disappear, and all that is left is a hole.  I thought it was a gold coin, but I realize that it is a tiger beetle.  In school we learned about tiger beetles.  We learned that baby tiger beetles are really unique looking.  They look like little worms!  Also that, after adults mate, the male guards the female.  So the female won’t mate with anyone else, until she has babies.  It is called “Mate Guarding.”
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The tiger beetles only live in the salt basins, by Salt Lake.  Anyway, I dig deep down, and try to get it out.  I loose sight of it again.  I had heard at school that tiger beetles dig their own burrow, and when prey comes, they jump out, and grab it, and go right back down to eat it whole.  If an animal should try to pull it out, it has claws that attach to their burrow. 
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I was kind of surprised that it was in this place; I mean I know that they live by the salt basins, but this one wasn’t real near the basins.  Also in school we learned that tiger beetles need salt to survive.  That is why we need to save them, and to have the government, rebuild their building or whatever they were going to build where they are.  I figured that I should contact someone, like a scientist on the beetle, come look, and see if it is in a dangerous place. 

Yvonne Lin
Grand Prize Co-winner- Illustration: 4-6
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Tiger Beetles

My friends, Amy, Herb, Kiki, and I were strolling along Salt Creek River when Amy found a beetle.  It had brown and tan colors on its back. 
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“I know what it is!  It’s a tiger beetle!” exclaimed Herb.
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“Let me see!” squealed Kiki. In rapid movements it flew away.
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“Let’s find another one,” said Amy, watching with great interest as the tiger beetle flew away until it was just a tiny spec. 
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So Kiki, Amy Herb, and I combed through the wet marshes.  “I can’t find one, can you?’ said quizzical Kiki.
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“Nope, I wonder why?” I replied.
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“Hmm…I know, we can ask Mr. Lee!” Amy shouted. 
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“Fine idea with me,” I said.  So we headed toward the classy bookstore. 
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“Here are some books and magazine articles, which recently got published about tiger beetles,” said Mr. Lee when we asked him.  We sat down at a cozy corner and started reading saying things as we went. 
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“It only lives in Nebraska!”
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“There are less than 300 left!”
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“No wonder we couldn’t find a lot of them!”
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“Their habitat is being used for buildings!”
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“That’s really bad.  We have to help!”
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“But, how?”
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“We’ll send a letter to the president!” Herb said in a very serious voice.  Mr. Lee got us a pen and I started writing. 
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This is a copy of it:
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Dear Mr. President,
Our Salt Creek tiger beetles are almost extinct.  There are less than 300 tiger beetles left!  Tiger beetles are very important in     the food chain.  They are also one of the non-pest insects.  Developers who have drained the Salt Creek, their habitat, are destroying their environment.  Please help!
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Then we signed our names and mailed it.  A week later we received mail from the President. 
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“We got mail!” squealed Kiki opening the envelope. 
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It said:
Dear Kiki, Herb, Amy, and Yvonne,
I’ll preserve their habitat by making your Salt Creek a state park.  Then no one can harm its environment.  
Signed,
George W. Bush
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“Yay!” screamed Herb, “Let’s show Mr. Lee!”
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We ran to the bookstore yelling “Mr. Lee! Mr. Lee!” Mr. Lee smiled as he read the letter and, with eyes glistening, he chuckled “I knew you guys would get it.”

William Lonn
Runner-Up Story: 4-6
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Tiger Beetle

My friends, and I won a reading contest at Lee Booksellers (We read 300 pages in one hour) the prize was that you got to go tiger beetle hunting with good old Mr. Lee, George W. Bush, and your friends in the contest.  The people in my group were Trey, Jay, Nick, and Daniel.  We were all friends that could read pretty fast. 
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When it was time to meet the President of the United States of America, we were all wearing “Salt Creek Tiger Beetle” shirts that we got from people at Lee Booksellers.  When the President got there he was wearing one too.  We were all surprised. 
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First he congratulated each and every one of us personally, and then he gave us all posters of the White House signed by him, and Mr. Cheney.  The posters were all laminated. 
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The next day we all meet at Lee Booksellers Edgewood.  We rode over to Salt Creek, and started looking for tiger beetles, with the help of Leon Higley. (The Entomologist) In a few minutes Dr. Higley finds a male tiger beetle guarding a female.  He studies the two while the rest of us look for tiger beetle larva.  When we found one Dr. Higley says, “That’s a new born larva I’ll take to lab to study.”  We observed a lot more grown tiger beetles, and we actually watched one catch its prey. 
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Finally it’s time to go back to the bookstore.  We are all sad it’s time to go but we have to.  Then the next day we all say “Goodbye” to the President.  After he leaves Mr. Lee says, “It’s time to go to the lab to study those tiger beetles.”  We are all so excited.  When we get there we found out that the President hadn’t really left, he had gone to the lab.  We studied for almost three hours when the President said, “It’s time to go to the Salt Dogs game.” 
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We all say, “What?” He simply repeats himself.  So all of us except Dr. Higley go over to Hay Market Park.  At the Salt Dogs game the President gives a speech.  He says, “80% of all of the profits tonight will be going to help tiger beetle research.” 
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Then tiger beetles were saved.  The tiger beetles boosted their numbers into the ten thousands. 

Kelsey Oliverius
Runner Up-Story: 4-6
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My Precious Discovery

As I lay in bed one night, I couldn’t help but think of the endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle that lives in two salt wetlands near Lincoln, NE, and nowhere else in the world.  “How,” I pondered, “could I make a difference in saving it from becoming an extinct species.” All of a sudden I felt something on my hand.  As I strained to see what it was with the help of the moonlight shining through my window, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  There, on my hand, was a tiger beetle! “Unbelievable!” I shouted.  “How did it get in my bed,” I wondered?  “Could it have climbed on my clothes during our field trip to the Salt Creek today?” The beetle was somewhat motionless, and injured I guess.  Very carefully, I lay it in a small box until morning.
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When I got up for school the next day, I was so excited to show everyone my genuine tiger beetle that I forgot to eat breakfast and even to give my mom a hug and a kiss goodbye.  Knowing that my tiger beetle was probably hungry, I jumped out of the van and ran to the grass to find some ants.  When I opened the lid I let out a squeal.  What I saw in the box was not one beetle, but two beetles.  In the dim light the night before, I had not noticed that there was another one under the top one.  Knowing that the top one must be the male beetle that attached to the back of the female in order to protect her, I yelled, “Yahoo!  They can have bunches of babies!” 
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I ran into the classroom and excitedly told my teacher and classmates the story.  They helped me do some research on the internet on tiger beetles.  “Check it out!”  I shouted as I found a toll free number to call for more information in helping to save the tiger beetle.  My hand was shaky as I dialed 1-800-BEETLES.  As a lady put me on hold I was even more nervous wondering what they would say about my precious beetles. 
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All of a sudden a guy spoke and said, “Good morning, Kelsey Oliverius.  This is President Bush.” I was speechless and thought I was going to faint.  He went on to tell me how my two beetles could make all the difference in the world in stopping the extinction of the tiger beetle.  He wanted to fly my parents, myself, and of course the two beetles to the White House for a special meeting. 
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When we arrived at the White House the next day, standing there waiting to greet us was the President of the United States.  I got to shake President Bush’s hand.  I had to pinch myself to know I was not dreaming.  There was another guy who introduced himself as Mr. Lee and said, “Lee Booksellers is my store and we would like to do a story on you and your findings.  It is so important that you found not only one beetle, but two of them-a male and a female at that!  Without both, there would be no baby beetles.  And without you Kelsey, we would not have these beetles.  Since this is so important to the non-extinction of the tiger beetle, we would like to also take some pictures that we will put in newspapers and on billboards to show everyone that even a child can make a difference in saving the beetles or any other endangered species.” 
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I could not believe what I was hearing.  My beetles and I were going to be famous.  I was so happy that I had not squished the beetles when I found them.  They are important in the lives of many others.  And so am I!  I had done a very small good deed and it got me this!  On top of that, it was going to get me the bunches of babies I’ve always wanted when I grew up.  There was one small problem, though.  They would not be human babies and I am not grown up, yet.  Oh well, I will just have to wait!

Casey Ruark
Runner Up-Illustration:4-6
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A Mission

The fifth graders at Morley Elementary listened very carefully as Dr. Higley explained the Salt Creek tiger beetles’ condition.  He said they are likely to become extinct within the next few months.  Living only in a couple of Salt Flats its numbers have decreased to below 300 beetles.  Then we contacted old Mr. Lee.  He came up with a great idea; we could have a story writing contest.  The topic would be “Why Should the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle be Saved?”  We all agreed that was a fabulous idea.
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The contest proved successful to the city, but to save this creature they would need more supporters, someone of great importance, like the president.  The following morning the president received a phone call.  Once the secretary handed the phone to him they told their plan.  It was agreed they would set aside a large area of land designated for the beetles. 
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It did work, but the Salt Creek tiger beetle was still in great danger.  In order to stay alive they must be very cautious.  They were still endangered, but their population was increasing. 

Jessica Sanchez
Grand Prize Winner-Story: 4-6
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The Journey

It’s the time of the great salt marsh crisis.  Every Salt Creek Tiger Beetle is scared, because their homes, the salt creek basins, are being destroyed.  All, that is, except Leila Saltworth, she wants to go the White House and discuss the problem with the president.  But no one will go with her.  One day she was walking and ran into a Goliath Beetle.  He said, “Move it wimp, don’t you know that I, Cameron, am the biggest and strongest beetle in the whole wide world!” 
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Leila, who is a quick thinker, asks him, “Are you really the biggest and strongest beetle of all?”
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“You bet I am!” Cameron replied.
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“Will you come with me to the White House then?” She said. 
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“Why?” He growled. 
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“If you don’t all of my kind could die.” Leila explained. 
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“Who cares, you’re just bugs!” He shouted as he turned to walk away. 
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“Oh well, he probably isn’t strong enough anyway,” Leila commented loudly. 
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Cameron turned back around angrily, “I’m strong enough to go on your stupid trip!” He shouted. 
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“Prove it then!”
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“Fine, I will.”
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“What’s keeping you?” Leila laughed as she took off. 
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So they started on their journey.  In the middle of their journey they got caught in a hailstorm and were severely injured.  “We will never get to the White House.” Leila moaned.  They were just about to give up when Mr. Lee found them and took them to his bookstore and nursed them back to health. 
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Mr. Lee asked them where they were going and why.  “To the White House to tell the President that my kind are dying out hoping he’ll help us,” Leila said.  Mr. Lee wished them luck and they continued on their journey. 
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It was a long trip and Leila and Cameron became good friends.  One day, after over a month of traveling they reached Washington D.C. Cameron flagged down a taxi, (Taxi drivers in D.C. are use to all kinds of passengers) and soon they were at the White House.  They raced to the door and slipped under it into the hall.  They checked every room for the President and surprised him in the oval office. 
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Leila said, “Hello Mr. President, sir, we come here from Lincoln, Nebraska.” “We need you help to stop the draining of the salt basins to save my family, the Salt Creek tiger beetles. 
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Well, tell you what, if you can do me a favor, I’ll help you.  Go into the attic and in the crack in the left wall you should find an opal-encrusted ring.  If you can get it out, I’ll save the Salt Creek tiger beetle.” Said the President. 
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“Why?” asked Cameron. 
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“Because it belonged to George Washington and I’d like to give it to the museum.  I can’t get it because I’m too big.” 
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“Okay” They agreed.  “We’ll do it,” and off they went.  They looked in the crack and found the ring and took it back to the President.  Then he gave it to the museum and put a stop to the extinction of the Salt Creek tiger beetle or if you prefer the Cicindela Nevadica Lincolniana.  As for Cameron and Leila they lived happily ever after. 

Cheyenne Selvy
Runner-Up- Illustration: K-3
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Salt Creek tiger beetle

A salt creek tiger beetle is not a popular bug.  Salt Creek tiger beetle is a weird bug.  I would like to know how old they are.  A beetle is a bug for people who do not know.  Salt Creek tiger beetles live near in Lincoln, NE.  So many have died because the water washed them away.  People still like bugs because some take care of our state.  Once there was so many but very few now.  I would like to know what they eat.  I would also like to know how old they can get to be.  How small are they when they are born?  I would like to know how many are left. 

Jessica Stortenbecker
Runner Up-Story: 4-6
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Cassie’s Story

Ever since she was born, life has been rough, what with being the middle child of six hundred!  Constantly moving from their bulldozed houses.  Fleeing with other wetland creatures.  From they’re no longer lakes and streams.  When she was sixteen weeks old her mother got squished by a bike.
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Her father started coming home later and later, because of their loss.  So once many of her brothers and sisters moved out she became responsible for all one hundred twelve children.
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One day she dared to dream!  And crossed the dangerous city.  So many tears were shed so many dreams crushed! She quit cheating herself and others.  And set out for a new life.  Searching for A new life was tough!  But Cassie had a tough soul!
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She believed that someone or something would carry her on!  So many nights sleeping on the hard ground with an empty stomach!  Going without food for days at a time!  Think!  If this were your child how would you feel?  
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Salty wetlands were becoming scarce.  Only two Wetlands are left!  Finally she found forgiving souls, scientists!  Although living in a jar for a month was hard, she was treated well!  They helped orphan beetles like her find their way home!  Rejoined with nature she started her own family.  Seven hundred beetles to be exact.