Winning Photo Depicts Red Fox in Montville

A red fox at in Montville Township found itself in the viewfinder of former Roxbury Mayor Sandy Urgo and wound up as the subject of a photo that won third-place in a New Jersey Green Acres photo contest.

The state Department of Environmental Protection honored scenes of New Jersey's natural beauty as part of contest celebrating the 50th anniversary of the department's Green Acres program.

Urgo's red fox photo won third-place in the Nature Close-up Category. She won first-place in the Scenics category for a photo taken at Black River Wildlife Management Area in Randolph.

Hundreds of photographers entered the contest, which started in June, challenging people to shoot their favorite properties purchased with Green Acres funding, according to a DEP news release.

Urgo negotiates open space acquisitions for The Land Conservancy of New Jersey, which has its headquarters at WildAcres, a 44-acre public park in the township, according to her bio on the conservancy website. It says she enjoys hiking, wildlife photography, writing and spending time with family.

"The Christie Administration is committed to the continued preservation of parks and natural landscapes such as those showcased in these photographs," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in a news release. "Through their photographs, these artists are showing all of us why land preservation is such an important part of the DEP's mission."

Winning photos were displayed at the State Museum in Trenton and then at the lobby of the DEP headquarters in Trenton.

The Green Acres Bond Act has resulted in the protection of 650,000 acres of open space and the development of hundreds of outdoor recreational facilities, the DEP said.

To see a full list of the photo entries visit: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/ga50/. The following is a list of winning entries:

Nature Close-up
Ages 6-12

• 1st - Tyler Hechtle, Dragonfly at Turkey Swamp Alder Trail, Turkey Swamp Park, Freehold
• 2nd - Galina Bello, Bullfrog Enjoying Lily Pad Pond, Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly

Ages 13-17

• 1st - Jared Kofsky, Bee in the Garden, Durand-Hedden House & Garden, Maplewood
• 2nd - Kelly Gibson, A Squirrel's View, Roosevelt Park, Edison
• 3rd - Lexie Fairman, Frog in Water, Green Acres, Hopewell

Ages 18+

• 1st - Donna Herrmann, Licky Lulu, South Branch Reservation, High Bridge
• 2nd - Vivian Bedoya, Baby Blues, Colonial Park, Franklin Township
• 3rd - Sandy Urgo, Red Fox at Wild Acres, WildAcres Preserve, Montville

People in Parks
Ages 13-17

• 1st - Kelly Gibson, The Red March, Roosevelt Park, Edison
• 2nd - Avery Gebhardt, Feet, Stony Brook Park, Princeton
• 3rd - Emily Goldman, Bike Rack, Marquand Park, Princeton

Ages 18+

• 1st - Katelyn White, Eternal Love, Mercer County Park, Princeton Junction
• 2nd - Nancy Smith, Hope, Memorial Park, Neptune City
• 3rd - Charles Menjivar, Frolicking at South Mountain Reservation, S. Mountain Res., Montclair

Scenics
Ages 6-12

• 1st - Galina Bello, Lily Pad Pond in Full Bloom, Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
• 2nd - Tyler Hechtle, A Fall Walk, Turkey Swamp Park, Freehold

Ages 13-17

• 1st - Absnel Esteban, The Forgotten Bridge, Institute Woods, Princeton
• 2nd - Jaclyn Hammond, Evening Light, River Road Park, Bedminster
• 3rd - Jared Kofsky, Autumn Begins in the Park,  Brightwood Park, Westfield

Ages 18+

• 1st - Sandy Urgo, Fairytale Forest, Black River Wildlife Management Area, Randolph
• 2nd - Robert Pilkington, Summer Serenity, Leonard Buck Garden, Far Hills
• 3rd - Nicholas Scheibner, Sunset at Ramapo Lake,  Ramapo Mountain State Park, Wanaque