Award-Winning Essex Heritage Area Images on Display at Visitor Center

Second Prize in the Heritage Area Category: Ipswich Marsh by Jean Mackay

Courtesy Essex National Heritage Area

News Release Date: February 26, 2008

Contact: Emily Murphy, National Park Service, 978-740-1691

Contact: Barbara McGowan, Essex National Heritage Area, 978-740-0444

(Salem, Mass) . . . As ongoing partners in the stewardship of the Essex National Heritage Area, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC) have opened an exhibit of award-winning images from the 2007 Essex Heritage Photography Contest in the NPS Regional Visitor Center, Salem. From twinkling lights along the Lawrence Canal to a lone snowy egret in the Great Marsh, the range of images in this exhibit captures the dramatic landscapes and true essence of the Essex National Heritage Area.

The photographers displaying their work include: Grand Prize Winner, Matthew Shelter (Byfield), Daniel Terry (Ipswich), Kathryn Prybylski (Boston), Zachary Peterson (Ipswich), Marion J. Bayly (Speculator, NY), Jean Mackay (Slingerlands, NY) and Trish McGregor (Rowley). Among the awards given to winners were annual National Park passes from the National Park Service. Each image represents one of two photo contest categories: Architectural Heritage and the Essex National Heritage Area, celebrating both the authentic New England buildings and landscape that makes our area unique. The award-winning photographs may also be viewed on the Essex Heritage website.

Dates for the 2008 Essex Heritage Photography Contest have also been announced. The deadline for submission is October 1, 2008, and all photos must have been captured between November 10, 2007 and October 1, 2008 to be eligible. Amateur photographers are invited to submit images taken in the Essex National Heritage Area, assigning them to one of three categories: "A Winter Wonderland," "On the Trail" or "A Trails & Sails Experience."

Photographers are encouraged to capture the essence of an Essex Heritage experience and/or speak to Essex Heritage's role in preserving and promoting the rocky coasts and harbors, farms and forests, historic districts, rivers and marshes of Essex County. More details on how to submit are posted on the Essex Heritage website.

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About the Salem Maritime Regional Visitor Center
National Park Service rangers and volunteers from Salem Maritime National Historic Site operate the Regional Visitor Center, located at 2 New Liberty Street, Salem. The Visitor Center is in the 1890 drill shed of the old armory of the Second Corps of Cadets, a unit of the Massachusetts National Guard. More information about the National Park Service Regional Visitor Center in Salem may be found at www.nps.gov/sama or by calling 978-740-1650.

About the Essex National Heritage Area
Designated in 1996 by the U.S. Congress, the Essex National Heritage Area covers 500 square miles of northeastern Massachusetts, and is comprised of an abundance of historical sites, renowned museums, wildlife refuges, working farms and inviting nature trails. It offers a uniquely New England landscape of pristine beaches, quaint seaports, town commons and renovated industrial mills, and chronicles the historical treasures of our region, the richness of our culture and the extraordinary beauty of our natural resources. For more information, visit on the web at: www.essexheritage.org or call 978-740-0444.

About the Essex National Heritage Commission
The Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC) is the non-profit supervisory authority for the Essex National Heritage Area, one of 34 such areas affiliated with the National Park Service. Working in collaboration with the National Park Service, the ENHC promotes public/private partnerships and develops and implements programs that enhance, preserve and encourage regional awareness of the unique historic, cultural and natural resources found within the Area. For more information, visit on the web at www.essexheritage.org or call [phone].

About Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Salem Maritime National Historic Site was designated in 1937, the first National Historic Site in the National Park Service system. The nine acre site includes the homes of merchants and mariners, the Salem Custom House in which the famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne worked, and a replica of the three-masted cargo vessel Friendship. Today, the rangers and volunteers of Salem Maritime NHS continue to inform and inspire visitors with the maritime history of New England and the United States. For more information, visit us on the web at www.nps.gov/sama or call 978-740-1650.