The St. Lawrence River Area of Concern (AOC) program at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) banded together with the Friends of the Robert Moses State Park (RMSP) Nature Center this past winter to coordinate a seasonal photography contest with a St. Lawrence River theme. The purpose of this contest is to promote the appreciation for, and bring awareness about, the St. Lawrence River.
The spring contest was held May 10-24. Judging took place on May 30 with representatives from the SRMT Environment Division and Public Information Office, the Massena Courier Observer, and the Friends of the RMSP Nature Center Board of Directors. First place winner Lisa Whitton was the recipient of the $25 gift certificate donated by Twin Leaf for her photograph, ‘What’s Your Point?’ featuring two lovely Canadian Geese. “I thought this photograph was a good representation of some of the wildlife you can find along the St. Lawrence River,” said Ms. Whitton.
The second place winner was Derek Cook who received the Better Bird Watching DVD donated by the Friends of the RMSP Nature Center for, ‘Sunrise on the St. Lawrence’ which was taken from the perspective atop the Three Nations Bridge. “The contest is about the St. Lawrence River and the view from the Three Nations Bridge overlooking the water is something that we will not be able to do shortly, well at least not from that height,” said Mr. Cook of his winning photograph.
Third place winner Colby Bowman received the Friends of the RMSP Nature Center T-shirt for ‘Until Tomorrow’ of a beautiful sunset over the St. Lawrence River.
“We have been getting a lot of positive feedback from the contests,” said Mary LaFrance, SRMT Environmental Health Educator and one of the contest organizers, “One of our winners was even contacted about having their photograph published and there might be another opportunity coming up shortly.”
The success from this contest can be viewed at the St. Lawrence Centre Mall in Massena, NY, where a display has been set up to showcase the winning photographs. The display will change with each season and with the addition of new photographs. The next contest will begin this summer, July 12-26.
For more details about the St. Lawrence River Seasonal Photography Contest please go to the SRMT Environment Division website http://www.srmtenv.org, or Friends of the RMSP website http://www.massenanaturecenter.org. Also, check out the new St. Lawrence River AOC Facebook page where you can find updated information on projects and events going on in the St. Lawrence River AOC area, and the Friends of the RMSP Nature Center, Inc., Facebook page where you can sign up for fun outdoor activities. In fact, the Nature Center has an upcoming “Nature Photography” class scheduled for Saturday, June 29, 2013 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Executive Director, Mary Danboise stated, “This class is a great opportunity to get out there with your camera and learn a few new techniques, plus have a guide lead you along the trails. Who knows? You may get the winning shot for the upcoming summer contest!”
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First place: ‘What’s Your Point’ by Mary Lisa Whitton
Second place: ‘Sunrise on the St. Lawrence’ by
Derek Cook
Third place: ‘Until Tomorrow’ by Colby Bowman
For ore information, contact the Public Information office at 518-358-2272.