Water quality data collected

 

Picture taking in West Virginia is in full bloom and the departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation are looking for the best photographs to include in their 2010 wildflower calendar.
Entries for the seventh annual West Virginia Operation Wildflower “Roadsides in Bloom” calendar contest are due Oct. 1, 2009.
“We normally have over 100 entries,” said Anna Shahan, coordinator of the DEP’s Adopt-A-Highway program. “Anyone can enter. You don’t have to be a native West Virginian.”
Pictures, however, must be taken in West Virginia. Twelve winners will be selected to represent the months of the year and a grand prize winner will have his or her photo displayed on the calendar’s cover.
Other contest rules are: 
Entries must be submitted as an 8x10 color print and must be landscape orientation. Portrait orientation will not be accepted. 
Flowers photographed must be growing along a West Virginia road and the road must be prominently visible in the photo. Flowers may be growing naturally or in an Operation Wildflower bed planted by the Division of Highways. Pictures of cultivated species planted in arranged beds, such as marigolds, pansies, etc., do not quality. 
Name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if available) and a short description of the photo, including location and county where it was taken, must appear in the upper left hand corner on the back of the photo. Photos will not be returned. 
No more than three entries per person. One winning photo will be selected from any photographer’s entries. Winners will be required to submit a digital copy of photo.
Entries should be mailed to: WV Operation Wildflower, Roadsides in Bloom Calendar Contest, WV Department of Environmental Protection/REAP, 601 57th St., S.E., Charleston, WV 25304.
Shahan said among the most popular flowers annually photographed are Sweet William, Oxeye Daisy, lilies, Dame’s Rocket, Black-Eyed Susan, Wild Columbine, jewelweed, ironweed and Joe Pye.
The state’s Operation Wildflower beautification program is a joint effort between the DEP and the state’s Division of Highways. It includes more than 250 acres of wildflowers grown on West Virginia’s roadways. Flowers on many of the sites are donated by garden clubs and the public.

For more information about the calendar or the rules of the contest, call the Adopt-A-Highway Program at 1-800-322-5530.

Contact:

Kathy Cosco
304 926-0499
Kathy.Cosco@wv.gov