Local Artists Donate Work to Tree Conservancy of Darien Photo Contest

In a generous group effort to show local support, five Darien artists are donating their artwork to the silent auction at the Tree Conservancy of Darien’s 2015 photo contest reception. TCD (treeconservancyofdarien.org), a local non-profit established to preserve and enhance the wooded resources of Darien, is holding its third annual photo contest, “Celebration of Trees”, with its complimentary cocktail reception on March 6th at the Darien Nature Center from 6-8pm. The artwork of Darien artists Carol Barr Matton, Donna Collins, Mary Morant, Lisa Thoren and Meg Tweedy will be available for bidding at the reception, which is open to all.

Residents, or those who work in Darien, wishing to enter the photo contest must submit entries between Thursday, February 26 and Saturday, February 28th at the Darien Nature Center, 120 Brookside Road during their normal hours of operation (M-F 9-4, Sat. 9-1). Photos of Darien trees taken within the past two years can be used for submission to the contest. Photos can be in black and white or color, and must be 8X10 in size. Registration fee is $15 for adults and $10 for students, with a limit of three entries per person and one per category. Each entry requires its own entry form. Rules for entry and printable entry form can be found at treeconservancyofdarien.org

All submitted entries will be matted and displayed for the reception and will remain up for view until April 10th. Nancy McTague Stock and Bill Taufic will judge the photos. Prizes will be awarded in several categories. The juried show will include ribbons for adults, elementary, middle and high school participants, color and black and white photography, landscapes, winter scenes, fall foliage, silhouettes, spring flowering trees, flora and fauna, and images of bark. New this year is a category for digitally enhanced images.

The goals of Tree Conservancy of Darien are to educate the community about the value of trees and their care, to identify and revitalize significant (heritage) trees in town, to maintain a stewardship program for the care and maintenance of existing trees, and to build partnerships to achieve Tree Conservancy of Darien goals.

Established in 2010, TCD has planted over 85 trees in Darien, including traffic islands near exits 11 and 13 of I-95, along Ledge Road, the entrance to Weed Beach and the Darien train station. Since its inception, Tree Conservancy of Darien has also donated over 80 trees for planting at various locations in Darien, including all seven public schools. For more information or to donate to Tree Conservancy of Darien, visit the Tree Conservancy at treeconservancyofdarien.org or email them at info@treeconservancyofdarien.org

The Tree Conservancy of Darien (treeconservancyofdarien.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the tree and forest resources of Darien for the benefit of the community, its health and its quality of life. Its goals are to educate the community about the value of trees and their care, to identify and revitalize significant (heritage) trees in town, to maintain a stewardship program for the care and maintenance of existing trees, and to build partnerships to achieve Tree Conservancy of Darien goals. TCD can be reached at info@treeconservancyofdarien.org.