From the barrier island beaches and the vast expanses of fresh and saltwater wetlands, to the riparian corridors that shade our rivers, the shear diversity of beauty within the Coastal Bend of Texas is often overlooked by those of us rushing to keep our busy schedule.  Since February, photographers of all skill levels, from amateur to professional, have captured phenomenal images from privately owned lands within 14 counties of the Coastal Bend.

The 61 teams of photographers who participate in this contest make a tremendous commitment of time, money, and effort to create the world-class images.  The photographers are top-notch naturalists, technically skilled and creatively talented.  Patience, endurance, and a high tolerance for pain and discomfort are also endearing qualities that many of our photographers possess.  However, because 94% of land in Texas is privately owned, it is the partnership of these photographers with 50 local landowners that makes this contest possible, as well as incredibly unique.  The landowners of the Coastal Bend have been excellent stewards of the land for generations, carefully balancing economic and environmental concerns.  Their generous hospitality has ultimately allowed nature photography to present an entirely new and amazing perspective of the wild inhabitants and habitats of the Coastal Bend.

This year the Photo Contest paid out a little over $91,000 split between 35 photographers and 37 landowners.

	Photographer	Landowner	Grand Prize Totals
1	Ruth Hoyt & John Pickles	Brien O'Connor Dunn, Fennessey Ranch	$16,900
2	Greg Pierson	The Cartwright Family, Twin Oaks Ranch	$12,700
3	Bill & Sharon Draker	Rob & Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation	$11,600
4	Juan Bahamon M.D.	The Nature Conservancy/South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center	$9,200
5	Paul M. Denman	Evelyn Swenson & Peter Swenson, Swenson Ranch	$6,800
6	Kent Savage	John & Louise Pettigrove, Knolle Jersey Farms	$4,300
6	R. Dean Johnstone	Louis Foester III Ranches, John, Dawn, Marc, & Shirley Foester Trusts	$4,300

Congratulations to all of our Photographers and Landowners who won this years contest.  We hope to see you all in the 2009 contest.  For a complete list of all the winners please go to http://www.wildlifephotocontest.com

We have had some terrific press lately, please check out the following websites for great articles about the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest. 
http://www.caller.com/news/2007/aug/27/wildlifephotos/

If you come across a story about the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest, please send us the link so we can share it with everyone.
Photo by: Bill & Sharon Draker/Welder Wildlife Refuge

A Photo truly is worth a thousand words....of education!  This picture already has a list of nick names: Disney photo, Bambi, Peoples Choice, and Kids Choice just to name a few.  At every rotary and civic group we talk to the crowd gasps when the image fades onto the screen.  Fred LaBounty, captured the image at the Rio Vista Bluff Ranch near McFaddin, Texas during our 2007 Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest.  The judges loved this photograph because Fred captured a very curious moment to share with all of us.  We were pleased and extremely proud when the photo was recently selected by National Geographic as one of their Daily Dozen Feature Photos.  The Daily Dozen are daily selections chosen by National Geographic magazine  photo editor Susan Welchman.

See for yourself by clicking on the link, select the month of September at the top of the screen, week 4. 

Photo by:  Fred LaBounty/Rio Vista Bluff Ranch

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/yourshot/daily-dozen/august.html

Let us give you an update on our growing programs:

The Traveling Benefactors Photo Exhibit travels around the Coastal Bend for thousands to see the award-winning photographs from this year's contest.  The exhibit is currently in the Frost Bank building on the corner of Antelope and Carancahua.  The display will be at the Corpus Christi International Airport for the month of November and in December visit it at Trinity Towers in Corpus Christi.

The Kritters 4 Kids Program has started the year with a BANG!  With the generous donations from sponsors we have secured funding for 69 additional schools for this 2007-2008 school year.  That brings the total number of schools funded to over 150.  We would not be able to reach so many children with the localized wildlife and habitat lessons without our Angels.  Thank You!

Pre-order your copy of Wildlife in Focus IV today. Our editors, Sandra and Neil Johnson have started production of our fourth book so be on the look out for the unveiling of the cover to Wildlife in Focus IV Conservation Edition in November.

Wildlife Photo Contest.... Registration for the 2009 contest will begin shortly, please watch your mail for information.

Keep an eye out for our second annual In Focus Magazine which will be out before the end of the year.  If you own a ranch or a business there is still time to advertise in this nature based magazine, which will be distributed to several thousand outdoor enthusiasts.  To advertise give us a call at (361)881-9316 before October 22nd.  This year's edition will be packed full of great landowner and photographer resources and features.

With the Holidays right around the corner, Wildlife in Focus III is the perfect gift.  Now it's even easier to get your hands on a book, by ordering on-line at http://www.wildlifephotocontest.com or come by our office and purchase a pre-wrapped book for your gift giving ease.  You can also purchase a Gift Set of I, II & III, while supplies last.  Be sure to pre-order Wildlife in Focus IV.

In This Issue: