Lewisburg W.Va. (WVDN) – A local boy from Lewisburg has made it into the quarter-finals for the 2025 Junior Ranger competition with the National Wildlife Federation. Ridge Crowe, a rising second grader at Lewisburg Elementary, registered for the competition online with the help of his mother, Autumn Crowe, who serves as the Deputy Director for West Virginia Rivers Coalition.
Through his comical and educational social media posts, he topped 100 other competitors in his group to make it into the quarter-finals. His videos about snakes, toads, worms and water pollution generated thousands of views with a fan base of voters across the state. To receive the prestigious honor of being named the 2025 Junior Ranger, he has to win the most votes out of thousands of kids across the country.
Young Crowe wants to be a junior ranger because he likes playing outside and wants to protect nature. He loves all creatures, even snakes and spiders. He hopes to win the grand prize of $20,000 and has pledged to donate half the money to the local food locker and the Greenbrier County Humane Society. He also wants to buy a 4-wheeler and flowers for his mom.
The host of the competition, the National Wildlife Federation, is a national conservation organization that works to protect the land, water and wildlife across the nation. Ridge needs to place first in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals and then the final round. If you’d like to support this young man in achieving his dream, you can cast your free, daily vote at https://jr-ranger.org/2025/