SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — There’s no shortage of nature on display at Good Earth State Park.
“We’ve got 190 different species of birds that you can come out for, we’ve got over 150 different kinds of flowers and plants, and then the landscape with the forest and the tall grass prairie and then looking over the Big Sioux River, this park just has it all,” Park Naturalist Jen Stahl said.
Visitors are encouraged to capture that scenery on camera and enter the park’s Summer Photo Contest.
“My favorite is the macro, I like to get down and small and look at those little tiny bugs and those little lichens and those little petals on the flowers. I like to go really small instead of really big,” Stahl said.
“I like to snap pictures of birds while I’m out here, some of them that are migrating through and that you don’t really see every day just in your backyard,” Park Manager Intern Kayli Tolk said.
Kayli Tolk is a Park Manager Intern at Good Earth State Park.
“It doesn’t even really feel like you’re in Sioux Falls, or in that area. When you’re here it’s just so different with the different landscapes and the views and the Sioux River, the bluffs that we have, it’s just a very good variety of different things you can take pictures of,” Tolk said.
The sixth annual Summer Photo Contest features new categories and new ways to inspire.
“This year we decided to do some weather, we’ve had some great weather phenomena going on, so we invited for weather, then people in the park, and then we always have to have an anything goes because with all the flowers and birds you’ve got to have something for everyone to submit a photo for,” Stahl said.
The top two in each category and one overall winners will receive a prize, with the winners selected by volunteers, staff, and photography club members.
“It’s really hard because nobody ever agrees on everything and so we’re always trying to critique all these different things and it’s a great discussion that happens and then we post all of our winners on Facebook,” Stahl said.
Photos must be taken at Good Earth State Park and submitted by Monday, September 5th.
Enter the contest by emailing your photos to goodearth@state.sd.us and please include your name, phone number, and category (Weather, People in the Park, & Anything Goes)