Last Saturday an email brought the news that I had two images find their way into the finals of The Nature Conservancy 2009 photography contest. This is the second year that I have entered and I was pleasantly surprised by the news. The Sandhill Crane shot at the left was one selection and was taken at the Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney, Nebraska this past spring. It was my first opportunity to be up close and personal with these magnificent birds and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Due to some travel plans this spring I was afraid that I was going to have to miss the chance to go the Kearney again this year, but, due to some changes in dates, I am going to spend a weekend peeking out a porthole in a blind along the Platte River. I can hardly wait to get there and renew some of the relationships I made during last years visit.
The picture on the right was the second finalist and is an old favorite from Ft. Defiance State Park in Northwest Iowa. This park is kind of a hidden pearl for my friends Mike, Bob and myself, and we all get down to the creek bed on many occasions. It is my hope that the contest would bring new impetus to some state funding for up keep and maintenance to our parks.
The road to the grand prize is now up to a "peoples choice" selection which throws a whole new twist to the final selection process. If you would like to vote for the finalists go to the following link
http://support.nature.org/site/PageServer?pagename=vote_xx&autologin=true .
Organizations like The Nature Conservancy spend a great deal of money and effort to save and preserve the wild areas of the world and I'm happy to be involved with such an outstanding group. With the economic demands on the private sector I'm sure that non-profits are feeling the pinch in every area.
During an internet search the other day for works by Dewitt Jones I happened to come on a link on MySpace that I was unaware of and if you follow the link below I think you'll what you find.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=43381348
Every once in a while a little inspiration is a good thing, and while I found Jones through his photography prowess years ago, he is also well known for motivational lectures in the corporate world. After listening to this talk I can see why.
Thanks to all of you that take the time to visit this site and your support is really appreciated.
For more views of my work visit:
"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa www.apieceofworkinc.com
Art Of The Vine Gallery http://www.artofthevinegallery.com
Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com
http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V1
The Cornucopia Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota www.lanesboroarts.org
