We’re excited to announce the winners of Population Connection’s first Photo Contest! Members from around the country submitted photos of the natural spaces, unique plants, and wildlife that inspire them to work for a more sustainable future for our planet. We had many beautiful entries that are showcased toward the second half of the page, under the “All Entries” section. As for the winner and honorable mentions, they are featured directly below!
Andrew Clark, Pendleton, Oregon
“This is a photo I really love. It is a Red-crowned Barbet in its nest hole, sleeping. I took the photo during a night hike in the Kalimantan jungle in Borneo. The illumination is with simple flashlights”
In describing how he views Population Connection’s work, he says:
People like me are working to stabilize the supply of high-quality protein for development of healthy brains in healthy children and stable livelihoods for their parents. Population Connection supporters can work toward stabilizing the population at lower—much lower—levels. This can be done—we all have a part to play.
If Population Connection supports us all working together toward the same goal of human populations appropriate to the environments and ecologies of their lands, lots of good things can happen, and millions of people will be better off.
Tom Cameron of Avon, CT
“I’ve spent hundreds of hours, over many years, on this river (often in my kayak), witnessing its beauty. This was a special morning—my birthday—and the river gave me a present: a doe and her two fawns respectfully requesting passage through a flock of geese feeding in the shallow rapids.”
Why population issues matter to Tom:
Our challenge is to recognize our fossil fuel addiction and understand how it has warped our consciousness and exploded our human population at the expense of thousands of other species and brought us to the brink of our own demise.
Kris Gulden of Fairfax, VA
“This was my first time exploring Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, near Cambridge, MD, in the evening. As luck would have it, the sky was a mix of beautiful colors and cloud formations as the sun was setting. I like the way the colors are reflected on the water, too.”
Why population issues matter to Kris:
There are so many dangers posed by overpopulation. We have limited space and limited resources here on earth, and stabilizing the number of people on the planet is critical not only for our survival, but it also influences the quality of life we experience.
Alex Burr of Las Cruces, NM
“I took this photo of an elephant family in Sweetwaters Game Reserve, a large, well populated park in Kenya with a large variety of wildlife.”
Why population issues matter to Alex:
It takes a certain amount of land area, food, and other resources to support each person. In some places on earth, there are too many people for a good quality of life and a sustainable future. If population growth is not reduced, the regions that already have too many people will continue to exceed their carrying capacity.
Wonderous Wildlife
Little Bee Eaters sleeping in reeds along the Zambezi River in northeastern Namibia.
Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
An African Cape Buffalo.
Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
A hummingbird in need in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania.
Submitted By: Diana Stone 
A fox spotted at Mason Neck State Park, in Lorton, Virginia.
Submitted By: Kris Gulden 
A juvenile Bald eagle surveys its surroundings at Mason Neck State Park in Lorton, Virginia.
Submitted By: Kris Gulden 
A female Impala with two fawns in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania.
Submitted By: Jeanie Cole 
A pair of yellow-chevroned parakeets at a fishing lodge on the Piquirí River in Pantanal, Brazil.
Submitted By: Jeanie Cole 
Three baby bunnies nestle in a pile of leaves in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania.
Submitted By: Diana Stoner 
A Black-capped donacobius, the only species in the donacobius genus perches on reeds in a backwater along the Piquirí River in Pantanal, Brazil.
Submitted By: Jeanie Cole 
A male Proboscis Monkey by the river on the island of Kalimantan (Borneo).
Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
An Osprey mom and her chick photographed near Annapolis, Maryland.
Submitted By: Kris Gulden 
A Reddish Egret at the J.N Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Florida.
Submitted By: Catherine Knoop 
A Mallard duck at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia.
Submitted By: Kris Gulden 
A Tricolored Heron at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Florida
Submitted By: Catherine Knoop 
Interesting Insects and Amazing Arachnids
A Monarch enjoying a flowering Liatris plant. Submitted BY: Catherine Knoop 
A Giant Wood Spider photographed in India. Their webs are several feet in size and are even strong enough to catch small birds! Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
Photo By: Diana Stoner 
Look closely for the red poison sac at the tip of this scorpion's stinger, photographed on the island of Kalimantan (Boreno). Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
A Swallowtail butterfly visiting a Turk's Cap Lily in Omaha, Nebraska. Submitted By: David Corbin 
A dragonfly at Mason Neck State Park in Lorton, Virginia. Submitted By: Kris Gulden 
A Tiger Swallowtail on large a Solomons Seal. Submitted By: Catherine Knoop 
A common bumble bee resting on a Coneflower at the Raleigh Rose Garden in North Carolina. Submitted By: Jane Robbins 
A large Argiope spider in its impressive web. Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
A Monarch butterfly on a Buttonbush at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Woodbridge, Virginia. Submitted By: Kris Gulden 
A Nephilinae spider hanging amongst the trees. Submitted By: Andrew Clark
Lovely Landscapes
The Sani Pass Road between Lesotho and South Africa. Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
Waves crashing town on the rocks along the seashore in Ogunquit, Maine. Submitted BY: Kenneth Lee 
A shot of the Big Sur coast in California. Submitted By: Stephanie Wolfe 
A towering sandstone butte illuminated by the sunlight during a solo hike in Monument Valley, Arizona. Submitted By: Pamela Duncan 
A forest view from the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China, North of Beijing, China. Submitted By: Sydnie Stocks 
Clouds rolling over the hillside in Hadley, Massachusetts. Submitted By: Kenneth Lee 
"Framing" the view of Mount Whitney in California for inspiration. Submitted By: Lorraine Sumner 
Silvas Creek bed in Lyles, Washington in the summertime. The stream flows between two lusciously green and prominent hills, forming a beautiful contrast with the bright blue sky. Submitted By: Jasmine Clairsaint 
A slow-flowing stream flows over beautiful rocks before meeting the ocean at Seme Beach in Cameroon. Submitted By: Nkeng Joel Junior 
A tree line reflecting off the stream at sunrise in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Submitted By: Kenneth Lee 
A breathtaking view of Machu Picchu on a clear day in Peru. Submitted By: Heaven Edwards
Fantastic Flora
A blooming Foxglove at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Submitted By: Nancy Stone 
The Sagole Tree, a baobab in Limpopo Province of South Africa is estimated to be several thousand years old.
Submitted By: Andrew Clark 
A Cactus flower blooming at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Submitted By: Nancy Stone 
An Etlingera elatior in full bloom at a coffee farm in Costa Rica. Submitted By: Stephanie Wolfe 
Roots wrap around this towering tree in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Submitted By: Stephanie Wolfe 
A Golden barrel cactus in the heat of Phoenix, Arizona. Submitted By: Stephanie Wolfe