Interior Announces Share the Experience 2016 Photo Contest Winners

Craig McIntyre is the grand prize winner of the 2016 Share The Experience photo contest for this unique picture of a frog at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas, which photo will appear on the 2018 America the Beautiful public lands pass. As a self-taught photographer, Craig McIntyre has been dabbling in wildlife photography since the early 1970s. Visiting the refuge once or twice a week during the summer, Craig walks the trails and boardwalks, binoculars and camera at the ready. “I like photographing the frogs because they’re artistic – little reptiles and amphibians are gorgeous to me. I’ve been studying them for 60 years now – patterns, designs and their behavior all fascinate me.” Photo by Craig McIntyre (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Early morning fog sits low over the water at Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest in the 2nd place winner. An avid photographer for 35 years, Gary Hamer’s camera equipment often replaces his fishing equipment when he heads into the backcountry. Such was the case on this recent trip when he captured the final day of the group’s seven-day journey as friends set-off to paddle across Lizz Lake. “One of my favorite parts of wilderness paddling is arriving at the next lake and seeing what is around the corner. I think this particular photo captures that feeling as they are just hitting the water after portage.” Hamer said he got lucky with this photo because his camera lens fogged up as he pulled it from his bag. After quickly clearing the lens, he captured this serene moment. Photo by Gary Hamer (www.sharetheexperience.org).

For Christopher Regala and his wife, experiencing new places and public lands is best done through the eyes of their son. On this occasion, Christopher and family visited Utah’s Zion National Park for their annual family reunion. It was decided that The Narrows, the narrowest section of Zion Canyon carved by the Virgin River, would be that day’s hike for all the cousins. As the group hiked up the canyon, Christopher took this picture of his son on his smart phone, having left his new camera back at camp to avoid any water mishaps. “I love the colors of the canyons and the water, and the look on his face – it’s a mixture of awe and exhaustion. Although tired, he persevered.” Photo by Christopher Regala (www.sharetheexperience.org).

This pic of bikers having fun at New Mexico’s White Ridge Trail won the adventure category. The New Mexico Trials Bike association partnered with the Bureau of Land Management to clean the area up and develop a trials bike practice and competition venue. The area is open to all members of the public and is kept clean by the Trials Bike Association. Photo by Raymond Lee (www.sharetheexperience.org). 

John Slezak snapped this pic of his little brother fishing in the golden hours at Oologah Lake in Oklahoma. The lake provides a great getaway for fishing, boating, picnicking, camping and family fun. While the Slezak and his family arrived at the lake later in the day than they would have liked, “All in all it was an evening well spent with family.” Photo by John Slezak (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Fans picked this winner: An eerie pic of the Washington Monument. Photo by Jack Hanton (www.sharetheexperience.org).

The 2nd place fan favorite went to Rob Blair for this dreamy photo of Blue Hen Falls at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For anyone visiting this Ohio park, Blue Hen Falls is one of the top 5 must-see locations. There's nothing quite like seeing it in the peak of the fall foliage. Photo by Rob Blair (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Wanting to get some sunset and night shots of the Hoover Dam and the new Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, Michael McCook jumped in his Jeep one afternoon when he noticed interesting clouds. Good thing he did because he won the historical category for this photo of the Hoover Dam lit up at night as the last light of day lingers in the pink clouds. Photo by Michael McCook (www.sharetheexperience.org).

Amateur photographer Matthew Hanna won the night sky category for this beautiful pic of the Milky Way stretching above the seastacks at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Spanning the Oregon coast, the wilderness islands and windswept headlands of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge are celebrated for their abundant wildlife, rugged grandeur and amazing night skies. Photo by Matthew Hanna (www.sharetheexperience.org). 

Fantasy Canyon is aptly named -- it's like a sculpture gallery dedicated to erosional flights of fancy with sandstone formations are unbelievably intricate. John D’Onofrio found the area to be a difficult area to photograph but on a recent trip, he noticed the almost ghostly illumination of moonlight on the strange formations and was transfixed. “I've been a life-long pilgrim on our public lands … I believe that finding and nurturing deeply-felt connections to the natural world is an antidote to the stress-inducing pace of modern life.” Photo by John D’Onofrio (www.sharetheexperience.org).

The wildlife winner goes to this pic of a stately owl staring at the camera. Of this lucky moment at Yellowstone National Park, photographer Matthew Sorum says, “When I shared the photo with friends on social media, it had a tremendous amount of positive responses from everyone. I appreciate that these lands are carefully managed to allow all visitors to view them and their inhabitants as Mother Nature created them.” Photo by Matthew Sorum (www.sharetheexperience.org).