DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife today announced the winning entries in the 2018/19 Delaware Hunting Photo Contest. First place was awarded to Harry Hoch, Jr. of Greenwood for his submission of “Hunting Memories,” featuring his father Dr. Harry L. Hoch and friend Bill Cole, after a successful hunt near Harrington.

The second place winner was “Three Generations,” taken by Jennifer Ross of Clayton and featuring her husband David, son Huntly, and father-in-law Charlie Ross, near Clayton.

Entries receiving honorable mention were:

• “My Pride and Joy,” by Paul Skibicki of St. Georges, featuring his daughter Kimberly Pokoiski, at the Midlands Wildlife Area near Millsboro.
• “Continuing the Tradition,” by James Swatski of Milton, featuring his son Jimmy Swatski, near Prime Hook Beach.
• “Thanks Dad,” by Jennifer Ross of Clayton, featuring her husband David and son Huntly, near Clayton.

The winning photo will appear on the cover and all winning entries will be shown inside the 2019/2020 Delaware Hunting & Trapping guide.

Three judges – Division of Fish & Wildlife Director David Saveikis, and local photographers and DNREC staff Justyn Foth and Rebecca Hoover – reviewed the entries and narrowed them to the top five. Photographs were judged relative to the contest theme of “Our Hunting Tradition” and for composition and technical criteria.

For more information about Division of Fish & Wildlife photo contests, please visit www.de.gov/fwphotos or contact Jennifer Childears at 302-739-9910 or by email at jennifer.childears@delaware.gov.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 172

Earl Blansfield took this photo for the 2018 Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest of a black swallowtail butterfly visiting a thistle plant at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship invites the public to vote on the finalists in this year’s Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest by visiting de.gov/nps. The contest aims to share the beauty of Delaware’s diverse environment while acting as a vivid reminder that everything that happens on land within the state’s watersheds also directly affects what happens in our waterways.

A watershed is all of the land that water moves across or under while flowing to a specific body of water. The contest was open to all photographers and images from any of Delaware’s watersheds were accepted. Judges were looking for striking photographic images of Delaware’s landscapes, waterscapes, native wildlife, and agricultural practices.

Votes for contest finalists must be submitted by Monday, June 24. Contest judges from within DNREC chose the entries that have advanced to the next stage of the contest – online public voting, which will determine the finalists and winners in each of four categories below:

Natural Landscapes of Delaware – Photographs of the scenic visible features of Delaware’s countryside or land.

Waterscapes of Delaware – Photographs of any waterbodies such as streams, rivers, lakes, creeks, estuaries, bay, ocean, etc.

Native Wildlife of Delaware – Native mammals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians of Delaware. Photographs of domesticated animals were not eligible in this category.

Agriculture in Delaware – Photographs of the practice of farming, including but not limited to the cultivation of soil for growing crops and rearing animals for food, wool, and other products.

Photos by contest winners will be on display at the 2019 Delaware State Fair and voted on by fairgoers to determine the overall “Best in Show” photo. The first place winners of each of four contest categories will receive a Delaware State Park pass for 2020 and their work will appear in Outdoor Delaware magazine. The first, second, and third place winners of each category will be recognized during the annual DNREC Awards ceremony on Governor’s Day at the Delaware State Fair, and the “Best in Show” will be featured in Outdoor Delaware magazine.

For more information, please contact Phil Miller at Photo Contest or 302-290-3578.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 49, No. 163

Digital entries are being accepted through Sept. 30

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today that the 9th annual Delaware Fishing Photo Contest is now open for residents submitting the best fishing photos they have taken throughout the state. The theme of this year’s contest – “Get Out and Fish DE” makes a “casting call” for photographs taken on Delaware waters and submitted for the annual competition.

The winning photograph for this year’s contest will be featured on the cover of the 2020 Delaware Fishing Guide, with the top five photographs presented inside the guide.

The contest is open to all Delaware residents, with a maximum of three entries per person. Photographs are only accepted digitally at the Fish & Wildlife photo contest page. Entries are being accepted through Monday, Sept. 30.

A judging panel comprised of DNREC staff will be looking for technically-suitable, well-composed photos that best portray the contest theme “Get Out and Fish DE.” To be eligible, photographs must have been taken in Delaware and depict persons involved in lawful fishing activities.

Complete contest rules and information, entry forms, and instructions for uploading entries can be found at the Fish & Wildlife photo contest webpage. For more information, please contact Jennifer Childears at 302-739-9910, or by email at jennifer.childears@delaware.gov.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Vol. 49, No. 121

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DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship invites photographers of all ages and skill levels to participate in this year’s Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest. The contest aims to share the beauty of Delaware’s diverse environment while acting as a vivid reminder that everything that happens on land within the state’s watersheds also directly affects what’s happening in our waterways.

A watershed is all of the land that water moves across or under while flowing to a specific body of water. Images from any of Delaware’s watersheds will be accepted. Contest judges will be looking for striking photographic images of Delaware’s waterways, landscapes, native plants and animals, and agricultural practices.

All entries must be submitted by Sunday, June 2. Contest judges from within DNREC will choose entries that move on to the next stage of the contest – online public voting – which will determine the finalists and winners in each category. Photos by contest winners will be on display at the 2019 Delaware State Fair and voted on by fairgoers to determine the overall “Best in Show.” The first place winners of each of five contest categories listed below will receive a Delaware State Park pass for 2020. The first, second, and third place winners of each category will be recognized during the annual DNREC Awards ceremony on Governor’s Day at the Delaware State Fair, and the “Best in Show” will be featured in Outdoor Delaware magazine.

To enter the Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest, participants should fill out the online submission form, which includes providing a description with the entrant’s name, phone number, address, email address, the location the image was taken, the category the photograph is being entered in, and if submitting a photograph in the Native Wildlife or Native Plant category, the name of the species in the photograph. Images must be at least 1650 by 2100 pixels (but no larger than 10MB) resolution, and the digital image must be submitted in .jpeg or .png format. Only photos that meet the criteria, along with a completed form, will be eligible.

Contestants may enter photographs in all or any of the five categories below but photographers can only win one place per category. Your photograph with the most votes will be your final submission for that category. A completed submission form must accompany each photograph entered.

The categories and criteria on submitting photos for them are as follow:

Natural Landscapes of Delaware – Photographs of the scenic visible features of Delaware’s countryside or land.

Waterscapes of Delaware – Photographs of any waterbodies such as streams, rivers, lakes, creeks, estuaries, bay, ocean, etc.

Native Wildlife of Delaware – Entries in this category may only include photographs of native mammals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians of Delaware. Photographs of domesticated animals are not eligible in this category. When submitting in this category, include the name of the species appearing in your photo in the application form.

Native Plants of Delaware – Photographs of Delaware native plants in any setting. When submitting in this category, include the name of the species in the application form. No wildlife are permitted in this category, native plants only.

Agriculture in Delaware – Photographs of the practice of farming, including but not limited to the cultivation of soil for growing crops and rearing animals for food, wool, and other products.

Rules and the submission form are available on the Division of Watershed Stewardship website at Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest. Questions can be emailed to dwpc@delaware.gov.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Annabelle Fichtner performs treatment to restore a historic photograph.

DELAWARE CITY – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation will host a photography preservation workshop from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5 at the Grass Dale Center, 108 North Reedy Point Road, Delaware City, DE 19706. The event is free and open to the public.

The program, “Worth More Than 1000 Words: Identifying and Caring for Your Family Photographs,” will be led by University of Delaware Art Conservation student Annabelle Fichtner. The hands-on workshop will teach participants how to identify and care for common types of photographs that may be in family collections.

Participants need not have prior experience in art or photograph conservation.

For more information, contact Jacob Miller, Interpretive Programs Manager, Fort Delaware/Fort DuPont State Parks, 302-834-7941.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 44