Land Trust Photo Contest Winners

The Lyme, Old Lyme, Salem, Essex and East Haddam land conservation trusts announced the winners of their jointly sponsored amateur photo contest. The purpose of the contest was to focus on the celebrated and scenic countrysidein those towns and its diversified wildlife.

There were over 300 photos submitted from 85 photographers all over Connecticut. The ages of the photographers ranged from children to senior citizens.

This contest was made possible by the generous financial support provided by LorensenToyota, Oakley/Wing Group at Smith Barney, Evan Griswold at Coldwell Banker, EssexSavings Bank, ChelseaGroton Bank, and Murtha Cullina LLP.

“There were so many wonderful pictures submitted that the judges had a difficult timeselecting the winners” said Tony Sullivan, spokesperson for the conservation trusts.

The three independent judges were William Burt, a naturalist who has won acclaim for his books of wildlife photography: Rare and Elusive Birds of North America, Shadowbirds and his recently released Marshes: The Disappearing Edens; Amy Kurtz Lansing, Curator at the Florence Griswold Museum and a Yale University doctoral candidate in the History of Art. She is also the author of Historical Fictions: Edward Lamson Henry's Paintings of Past and Present; and Rudy Wood-Muller, a photographic illustratorand designer. His first large exhibition was at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 and was followed by numerous other shows, including a one-man show at the Rochester Institute of Technology. A group of his photographs have been selected to be part of the Permanent Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

“This year an additional award was given out to honor one of our prior judges, John G.Mitchell, who passed away,” said Sullivan.

“John, who was one of the editors at National Geographic, dedicated his career to writing about the environment and conservation, so the award was for the best picture reflecting that subject.”

The categories and names of the winners are:

JOHN G. MITCHELL–Environmental Conservation Award 

Winner: Joan Meek, Old Lyme

PLANTS

First Place: David Dundorf, Salem

Second Place: Skip Broom, Hadlyme

Third Place: Tom Nemeth, Salem

Honorable Mentions: Tom Flynn, Durham; Stephanie Clayton, Old Lyme; Suzanne Zack, Old Lyme

LANDSCAPES/WATERSCAPES

First Place: Jeremy Dominijanni, Niantic

Second Place: Linda Waters, Salem

Third Place: Jean Callan King, East Haddam

Honorable Mentions: Jacob Egbert, Old Lyme; Don Quigley, Old Lyme; Cheryl Philopena, Salem

WILDLIFE

First Place: Don Quigley, Old Lyme

Second Place: Skip Broom, Hadlyme

Third Place: Hank Golet, Old Lyme

Honorable Mentions: Tom Bradbury, East Hampton; Tom Bradbury, East Hampton; Mark Roger Bailey, Essex

CULTURAL/HISTORIC

First Place: Mike Cathcart, Hadlyme

Second Place: Skip Broom, Hadlyme

Third Place: Skip Broom, Hadlyme

Honorable Mentions: Mark Roger Bailey, Essex; Cheryl Philopena, Salem; Tom Flynn, Durham

YOUTH

First Place: Haddie Walters, East Haddam

Second Place: Hannah Patten, Old Lyme

Third Place: Emma Pennie, Old Lyme

Honorable Mentions: Breanne Sullivan, Dumont, NJ; Charlotte Boland, Ivoryton; Jasmine Bazinet, Niantic

All the winning photographs will be available for public viewing at Phoebe Griffin
Noyes Library at 2 Library Lane in Old Lyme during the month of April. The photos can also be seen at http://landtrustsphotos.shutterfly.com/ or on the web sites of each of the sponsoring conservation trusts.

The winners are being honored at the Lyme Senior Center on 26 Town Woods Road in Old Lyme on Friday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m.