Gov. Dirk Kempthorne was helping 11-year-old Christy Reid of Hayden Lake unveil her award-winning Arbor Day poster this morning when a spindly, wooden easel collapsed, causing the governor, Christy, and Christy’s art teacher, Kim Washko, to make quick grabs for the framed poster. It survived, and was unveiled to applause in the Capitol rotunda.

Christy’s colorful poster, “Trees are terrific – and energy wise,” took first place not only in Idaho, but in the national contest as well, winning the home-schooled fifth-grader a trip to Washington, D.C., a $1,000 savings bond and a lifetime membership in the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Christy – the second Idahoan to win the national contest, after Hannah Joy Coad of Cataldo won in 2003 – said she really does think trees are terrific. “They’re really good for shade, and I like that,” she said. “They shield little animals. … They also give us air and stuff. Trees are really beautiful, too.”

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