Winning Shots: Laurel Highlands region shines in statewide photo contest celebrating parks and forests
When the Pennsylvania Parks and Forest Foundation announced the winners of its 2024 State Park and Forest Photo Contest last week, Laurel Highlands wildlife, scenery, and outdoor action shone brightly across the state and beyond.
Contest entrants won three major awards for photographs taken in state parks and state forests of the Laurel Highlands region. Contestants could submit photos from any state park or state forest within the state.
Holly April Harris, of Coal Center, won the Judges’ Choice Award in the contest’s “Beyond the Edge” category for her photo taken in Fayette County’s Ohiopyle State Park. The photo captures a kayaker in controlled freefall as his craft shoots over the Youghiogheny River’s Ohiopyle Falls.
Harris had been touring the local mountains photographing blooming mountain laurel when she arrived in Ohiopyle just in time to watch kayakers authorized by park staff to descend the falls.
“It just so happened there were four kayakers taking turns going over the falls when I got there,” Harris said. “I decided to see if I could get some good shots. The kayakers were very skilled and a lot of fun to watch. I’d never seen anybody go over the falls before and it was a neat experience.”
Harris is enthusiastic about Ohiopyle as an outdoor destination. “What is not to love about Ohiopyle?” she said. “It has everything — waterfalls, wildlife, scenic views, trails, rare wildflowers, the bike trail and Yough River. I spend as much time as I can in our state parks and forests — the beauty, peace and magic of nature is well preserved in our state’s parks and forests.”
Wendy Hampe, Meyersdale, won First Place in the People’s Choice “Awe” category. Her winning shot of a fall woodland scene in Forbes State Forest near Mt. Davis, Somerset County was among 300 photographs entered.
“One of my favorite places to go in the fall is Forbes State Forest,” Hampe said. “The forest at Mt. Davis has some intense weather conditions, being the highest point in Pennsylvania. Each season has something special that makes it a joy to photograph. And the scenic lookouts there offer awesome views.”
Kooser State Park in Somerset County was the site of Latrobe resident Sabine Panzner’s winning entry. Panzner won Runner-Up in the People’s Choice “Awe” category for a stunning photo of an otter on the ice covering Kooser’s lake. In the shot, the otter’s teeth grip a sunfish it has just caught beneath the ice.
“I love wildlife photography,” Panzner said.
When someone posted in a photography group that they had seen an otter at Kooser State Park, Panzner resolved to head there with her camera. Fortunately, the otter rewarded her for waiting a long time in freezing cold.
“I took hundreds of pictures of him coming up out of the water, climbing up on the ice, fishing and eating the fish he caught. I stayed until it got too dark to get any more good pictures.
“Kooser is one of my favorite state parks in the winter,” Panzner continued. “It is one of the quieter parks with fewer people, generally, and it is a good park for using snowshoes when conditions are right. We love the outdoors, we hike, bike, and kayak all over the state and country. But we always find something to do on the beautiful trails and waters of the Laurel Highlands region.”
Headquartered at Camp Hill, PA, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation supports programs and facilities at Pennsylvania’s 124 state parks and on 2.2 million acres of state forest. Forty-five local chapters uphold the Foundation’s mission to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests.
“The annual photo contest not only demonstrates the beauty and history of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests, it demonstrates peoples’ connections to these special places,” said Marci Mowery, President of the Foundation. “We applaud the photographers for capturing the images and we applaud the leaders who had the foresight to conserve these special places for today and generations to come.”
For more information on the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, and to view all the 2024 contest submissions, visit the Foundation’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/PennsylvaniaParksAndForestsFoundation/photos_albums.
The Foundation’s 2025 photo contest is now open. This year the contest focuses on Pennsylvanians’ love of trails. For details visit the PPFF website at www.PAParksAndForests.org.
Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America