Beaufort County’s public boat landings and six selected undeveloped parcels of land will serve as locations for the annual Beaufort County Calendar photo contest.
Winning photos taken at these locations will be used for the County’s 2012 Land Preservation Calendar. County Administrator Gary Kubic said the theme should inspire photographers. “There is little that is more precious to our citizens than the health and beauty of our land and water. This will present an exquisite opportunity for our gifted local shutterbugs to capture the essence of what we all hold so dear. I have no doubt the photos they capture will be spectacular. ”
Beaufort County operates 25 public boat landings, eight public access points, two bluffs and seven piers. All are eligible locations for photo shoots. Locations and descriptions may be found at bcgov.net. Mash the “Public Service” button on the home page, then “Public Works” and “Water Access.”
The six selected rural properties are owned by the people of Beaufort County and were acquired through the County’s Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program for public parks, future parks and protection of the environment. Funding for the program was overwhelmingly approved by voters on two occasions.
The selected photo locations include The Green in Beaufort’s Old Point neighborhood, Ihly Farm near MCAS, Okatie Preserve in greater Bluffton, Stony Preserve on Hilton Head Island, the Chowan Creek parcel on St. Helena Island and the Mitchelville Road Property on Hilton Head Island.
Maps, directions and GPS coordinates for these six sites are also located at the County website, bcgov.net. Mash the sliding graphic on the home page that announces the calendar contest. The site includes contest rules, entry forms, subject release forms and legal waivers that can be downloaded and faxed, mailed or emailed.
Legal waivers must submitted before visiting Ihly Farm, Okatie Preserve, Stony Preserve and the Mitchellville Road Property because these locations are not yet preserved with trails or safety features. Photographers are advised to proceed carefully through these wild parcels, which may be home to snakes, insects and poison ivy.
Photographers may enter up to four photos. Entries must include pictures of at least one land preservation location and one water access site. They must be postmarked by 5 p.m. Monday, August 15.
Photos may be in color or black and white and must be roughly 8 x 10 vertical or horizontal. Each entry must include a print and a digital copy of at least 300 dpi. The digital copy may be sent pio@bcgov.net or mailed on a disc with the print to Public Information Officer/PO Drawer 1228/Beaufort, SC 29901-1228.
Entry forms, legal waivers and any subject-release forms may be submitted with the print or faxed or emailed. The photographer’s name must be on the back of the photo.
For more information, call the Beaufort County Public Information Office at (843) 255-2035.