(photo by Julie Munger - Bangor Twp.)

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Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy Announces 2nd Annual Photo Contest

Winners Will Receive A Cash Prize!

June 1, 2008
By: Julie McCallum,
Senior Staff

Show nature at its beautiful best and you could win a cash prize!

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy is now accepting entries for its second annual photo contest.

The contest will provide participants with an opportunity to explore the natural environment within the Saginaw Basin while building awareness and support to preserve and protect the natural space, species and habitat that thrive within the Saginaw Bay Watershed. The contest is open to all ages.



(Photo by Julie Munger - Bangor Twp.)

Photo contestants are encouraged to capture an image that reflects natural living in the Saginaw Bay Watershed. Images can include waterways such as rivers and streams, plant life or flora, forest and natural wooded scenery, and even wildlife, birds and insects and people, although releases will be obtained for any human subjects captured on film.

Valerie Roof, Executive Director, said, "This contest is not only popular with our community, it's a great way to effectively promote the natural beauty of our region and give visual proof that our land is worth protecting."

Contestants will have plenty of room to choose their best shot. The Saginaw Bay Watershed is the largest watershed in the state, filtering 15 percent of state inland waters. It features more than 175 inland lakes and nearly 7,000 square miles of rivers and streams. Hundreds of contestants snapped digital and film-based photos for the 2007 contest. The winning photos are displayed at Bay City State Recreation Area.

The contest is open to the public, with no entry fee. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each photo category and winning photos will be posted on the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy website as well as in the organization's newsletter, "The Watershed Wire." Contestants can choose from five photo categories: Landscapes; Plants and Flowers; People in Nature, Student Category and Wildlife.

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy's second annual photo contest is sponsored by The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times. Photos entered in the contest will judged by a select panel of professionals with backgrounds in environmental protection, art and photography. Photos will be judged on originality, composition and subject matter.

To enter the contest contact the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy at (989) 891-9986 or download the entry form and contest rules by visiting the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy website at http://www.sblc-mi.org Deadline for photo submission is September 30, 2008. For more information please contact Valerie Roof at 989.891.9986

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy works to maintain the quality of life in the Saginaw Bay Watershed through the preservation of important wetlands, waterways and land of all types. The Conservancy is a non-profit charitable 501(c)(3) organization working in all 22 counties that comprise the Saginaw Basin. To date, the Conservancy has protected more than 155 acres in five preserves and 3,350 acres in 35 conservation easements.