The winners of the
2005 Refuge Photo Contest

a digital photo contest showcasing America's
national wildlife refuges and wildlife

In connection with the 2005 Refuge Photo Contest, and in celebration of the 103rd anniversary of the establishment of the first National Wildlife Refuge on March 14, 1903, NWRA launched an online Refuge Image Library, a collection of high quality images showcasing the rich and varied wildlife and habitat protected by our country’s National Wildlife Refuge System.

This new online gallery, featuring the more than 200 semi-finalist images from the photo contest, is searchable by subject category and state, and provides contact information for each photographer. Currently the Library contains images from over 70 refuges; future Refuge Photo Contests will allow us to expand this valuable resource.

Click here to visit NWRA’s Refuge Image Library and view this terrific collection of images.

First Place 2005

John Eriksson of Waller, TX

for photo of Black Terns, Malheur NWR, OR

winner of the full digiscoping outfit from contest sponsor Swarovski Optik of North America (SONA)

Second Place 2005

Ed Bustya of Phoenix, AZ

for photo of Pied-Billed Grebes, Tualatin River NWR, OR

winner of the Swarovski 8 x 30 SLC binoculars

Third Place 2005
Brett Breeding of New Castle, DE

for photo of Snowy Egret, Bombay Hook NWR, DE

winner of the Swarovski Extremadura carrying bag

Fourth Place 2005

Stan Bousson of Moline, IL

for photo of Scenic Wetlands, Kootenai NWR, ID

winner of the TrekPod with MagMount from Trek Technologies

 

The following 25 Fifth Place winners received a Kaufman Focus Guide and a Peterson Field Guide from Houghton Mifflin:
David Caldwell of Santa Fe, NM, for photo of Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache NWR, NM
Art Cole of Woodbridge, VA, for photo of Monarch butterfly, Occoquan Bay NWR, VA
Jim Cruce of Gresham, OR, for photo of Rough-Legged and Red-tailed Hawks, Ridgefield NWR, WA

Brian L. Currie of Syracuse, UT, for photo of Western Grebes, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT

Bob Griffith of Veradale, WA, for photo of Red-tailed Hawk, Turnbull NWR, WA
Jim Jamieson of Savage, MN, for photo of Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache NWR, NM
Frank Johnson of Bay City, TX, for photo of American Bittern, San Bernard NWR, TX
Roland Jordahl of Pelican Rapids, MN, for photo of American Redstart, Agassiz NWR, MN
Anthony Kent of Mountain View, CA for photo of Black-necked Stilt, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR, CA
Nan Moore of Corvallis, OR, for photo of Rufous Hummingbird, William L. Finley NWR, OR
Erv Nichols of Big Bear Lake, CA, for photo of Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache NWR, NM
Karen Nitz of Burns, OR, for photo of historic Sod House, Malheur NWR, OR
Judd Patterson of Salina, KS, for photo of American Avocet, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT
Bill Raften of Anchorage, AK, for photo of Kanuti River, Kanuti NWR, AK
Keith Ramos-Viera of Richwood, TX, for photo of Crab Spider, Laguna Atascosa NWR, TX
Kenny Seals Lawton, OK, for photo of Common Nighthawk, Wichita Mountains NWR, OK
David Seibel of Lenexa, KS, for photo of American Tree Sparrow, Squaw Creek NWR, MO
Sandy Selesky of Westford, MA, for photo of Great Horned Owl, Parker River NWR, MA
Bob Smith of Evergreen, CO, for photo of Eared Grebes, Arapaho NWR, CO
Sherrie Stanley of Cheswold, DE, for photo of Red Fox, Bombay Hook NWR, DE
Janice Tripp of Savannah, GA, for photo of Green Treefrog, Savannah NWR, SC
John Van de Graaff of Northampton, MA, for photo of Red-winged Blackbirds, Bosque del Apache, NM
Diana Whiting of Skaneateles, NY, for photo of Pied-billed Grebes, Montezuma NWR, NY
John Williams of Battle Ground, WA, for photo of Tree Swallow, Ridgefield NWR, WA
Warren Williams of Sand Springs, OK, for photo of Salt Plains NWR, OK

Top photos from the 2005 contest were published in the Summer 2006 issue of Wildlife Refuge magazine, the only magazine devoted to the showcasing the National Wildlife Refuge System.