2023 Winners
The Diana Atwood Johnson Photo Contest
Congratulations 2023 Winners
The Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) in partnership with the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) are pleased to announce the winners of The Diana Atwood Johnson Photo Contest.
A huge thank you to our judges for their time to look at each photo! We would also like to thank the many people who submitted a photo for consideration.
Contest Details
Both amateur and professional photographers are welcome to submit photos. All photos must feature a property from the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program.
Diana Atwood Johnson
The Diana Atwood Johnson Photo Contest is named in honor of Diana Atwood Johnson, an avid birder and accomplished amateur bird photographer.
Overall Winner
Best in Show
Deer in the Distance
Annmarie Goenne
Lower Fireworks Island Project, Wallingford
"I was hiking and heard rustling in the leaves. I saw a deer in the distance and waited for it to come into the sun light. As it came closer, I was happy to see it was a buck! Those little antlers are still fuzzy. Super cute and he walked past me to continue on, almost as he was leading the way. Shortly later, his siblings joined him for some dinner on leaves. Luckily, I always have my camera, so I was able to capture this moment."
Wildlife
Winner
Great Blue Heron in the Grass
Lindsay Pettinicchi
Hollister Preserve/Whitehouse Family Nature Preserve/Bogdan Parcel, Glastonbury
"Lindsay Pettinicchi came across this beautiful great blue heron while going for a walk on the Hollister Preserve and Whitehouse Family Nature Preserve and Bogdan Parcel, Kongscut Land Trust, in Glastonbury, CT. She took out her camera to get its picture very quickly before it flew away (It was taken off of the Tall Timbers Road trail entrance where Smith Brook flows through the trail). Finding a good picture always makes her smile when she encounters it. She has developed an appreciation for wildlife and all of her wonderful adventures taking photos reminds her of how important it is to take time to relax and discover things. With photography, she takes time to appreciate nature’s beauty and captures it in its natural environment."
Honorable Mentions
Robin's Nest with Babies
Annmarie Goenne
Strickland Property, Middlefield/Middletown
"Listening to Robins calls, I saw mom and dad flying back and forth. I followed them to see where they were going and ta-da... the nest. Dad came back empty handed for food and looks at them in bewilderment. Mom comes in moments later to feed the clan."
My Eyes are on You
Lindsay Pettinicchi
Hollister Preserve/Whitehouse Family Nature Preserve/Bogdan Parcel, Glastonbury
"Lindsay Pettinicchi came across this sharp toad while going for a walk on the Hollister Preserve and Whitehouse Family Nature Preserve and Bogdan Parcel, Kongscut Land Trust, in Glastonbury, CT. She took out her camera to get its picture very quickly before it hopped away (It was taken off of the Tall Timbers Road trail entrance where Smith Brook flows through the trail). Finding a good picture always makes her smile when she encounters it. She has developed an appreciation for wildlife and all of her wonderful adventures taking photos reminds her of how important it is to take time to relax and discover things. With photography, she takes time to appreciate nature’s beauty and captures it in its natural environment."
Dragonfly on Purple Flower
Annmarie Goenne
Linear Trail Lower Fireworks Island, Wallingford
"I love to stop and appreciate nature of all kinds, especially dragonflies. This Halloween pendant was amongst some purple flowers and sat so patiently for me to get the photo. Upon saying thank you, it landed on my arm for me to walk it down the trail where we parted ways."
Landscapes/Waterscapes/Wildlands
Winner
Vernal Depths
Wendolyn Hill
Brockway-Hawthorne Preserve, Lyme
"I have always been fascinated by the reflections of the landscape in water. In this photo, the color of the fallen oak leaves in the bottom of a vernal pool provide a warm background for the dramatic reflections of the trees."
Honorable Mentions
Enigmatic Erratic
Carol Lambiase
Van Epps Preserve, Bethany
"This is the largest erratic we have seen in Bethany, and possibly far beyond. It’s origins are unknown but its structure appears to indicate sand between layers of sedimentary stone."
Reflective Jewels
Wendolyn Hill
Johnston Preserve, Lyme
"The ice on a vernal pool in Jewett Preserve created beautiful abstract patterns."
Waterfront Dining
Christine O'Neill
Plymouth Reservoir, Plymouth
"This one is called "Waterfront Dining" (as I assume those are woodpecker holes!)."
Urban Green and Community Gardens
Winner
Growing a Greener Future
Vikki Reski
Lisa Lane Community Gardens, Bloomfield
"In 2018, the Town of Bloomfield worked with Ironwood Community Partners, the community gardeners and Keney Park Sustainability Center to upgrade the Community Gardens with a DEEP Urban Gardens grant. Thirteen plots with three raised beds each were constructed. New signage, a tool shed, and three demonstration beds were added on the south side of the garden. The compost area was moved and the community gardens were fenced. Improved drainage, parking and upgraded walking paths were completed. Part of the Town’s share of the matching grant was donated volunteer time from the community gardeners, the town staff, Ironwood Community Partners, Keney Park Sustainability and DEEP Environmental Justice Program."
Honorable Mention
Gardening through the Lens of Nature's Unique Perspectives
Robin Sherwood
Filley Farmyard Community Gardens at La Salette Open Space, Bloomfield
"The Filley Farmyard Community Gardens are located within the remains of a historic 1850 dairy barn foundation, which burned in 1990. The gardens include 18 plots with raised beds constructed along the original south foundation line, and features the silo foundation along with a tool shed in the remains of the creamery. The project was made possible through support and funding by Town of Bloomfield, Ironwood Community Partners, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Urban Green and Garden Funding, The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving/The Richard P. Garmany Fund and the donation of tools from The Duncaster Community Gardens."
Photos starting right, going clockwise
Urban explorer, graphic designer and amateur photographer Robin Sherwood experimenting with an Insta360 ONEX Camera in the Filley Farmyard Community Garden. When not precariously holding a camera in hand, Sherwood enjoys hiking the garden’s surrounding fields and taking in the dusk beauty of downtown Hartford from the hilltop view at La Salette Open Space.
From the remains of an old dairy barn springs new life. See this view of the Filley Farmyard Community Gardens with Bloomfield residents Vikki Reski and Melissa Murray Figueroa surveying the bounty of the raised beds.
Where once stood a creamery now stands a tool shed, and where once was a dairy barn now sits an 18-plot community garden surrounded by 140 acres of preserved open space that includes easy hiking trails and two ponds for all to enjoy.
People
Winner
An Invitation on the Overlook
Wendolyn Hill
Johnston Preserve, Lyme
"A group of hikers enjoy the view at the overlook. I like the effect of the silhouetted figures against the sunlit green hills. The person on the right turning towards the camera invites the viewer into the scene."
Honorable Mentions
H. Kevin Harkins Records the Birds
Elanah Sherman
Atkinson Family Preserve, Gales Ferry
"Sound... it is my window to the world. When I am listening to the voice of nature, I am transformed into that little boy romping through the fields and woodlands of my native Griswold, Connecticut. My spirit delights in the sacred eternalness of the conversation of the birds, the majesty and power of the wind and thunder. That all people might see what I hear, this is my vision." - From H. Kevin Harkins
Double Footprints
Lindsay Pettinicchi
Power's Beach Tract, Waterford
"Lindsay Pettinicchi took the picture, Double Footprints, while going for a walk at Power's Beach Tract, West Farms Land Trust in Waterford, CT. She has enjoyed going there many times over the years enjoying the beach; the lot consists of salt marshes and sand dunes (It was taken at Powers Beach Tract, which is one of several long strips of land connected to the shoreline near Harkness Park). It was perfect timing when she saw this impressive picture. She has developed an appreciation for nature and all her wonderful adventures taking photos outdoors reminds her of how important it is to take time to relax and discover things. Nature really matters because it provides awe-inspiring beauty to the world we live in. With photography, she takes time to appreciate nature’s beauty and captures it in its natural environment."