Winning photos announced for Beaufort County Calendar competition

Patricia Roche
The cover of the 2013 calendar features this shot by Patricia Roche of Bluffton.

The photo above by Patricia Roche of Bluffton, depicting a Great Blue Heron at Hunting Island State Park, was chosen for the cover of the 2013 Beaufort County Land Preservation Calendar.

The 2013 calendar will retail for $15 and all proceeds benefit the County’s Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program. Calendars can be pre-ordered online at the County website and they will be available for sale at shops around the county.

Here is the full list of winners and more on the calendar:

The 2013 calendar theme is Beaufort County Birds and Their Habitats and is intended to show how the County’s land preservation program benefits wildlife as well as people, the environment, waterways and the local economy.

Other winning photographers include:

  • Fran Baer of Hilton Head Island
  • Tom Brady of Dataw Island
  • Bill Bosley of Hilton Head Island
  • Ed Crenshaw of Hilton Head Island
  • Richard de Asla of Bluffton
  • Richard Henry of Callawassie Island
  • Sue Jarrett of Beaufort
  • Zeke Jordan of Hilton Head Island
  • Ed Kelly of Oldfield Plantation
  • Chris Kirk of St. Helena Island (two wining photos)
  • Joanne Long of Bluffton
  • David Shipper of Beaufort
  • Mary Kay Taylor of Hilton Head Island

The 2013 calendar will include pages for January and February, 2014, which allows for two additional winning photos. County Administrator Gary Kubic said selecting them was a huge challenge.

“Imagine choosing just 15 winners from more than 200 spectacular pictures! The exceptionalism of our local photographers never ceases to amaze me!”

The 2013 calendar is being produced in partnership with three local Audubon clubs. Pete Richards, President of the Fripp Island Audubon Club, said birders represent the largest recreational group in the nation.

“Beaufort County offers some of the most diverse birding opportunities and unique habitats anywhere in America. Protecting habitat through land preservation is vital,” Richards said.