LANSING – State Representative Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) today announced the winners of her "West Michigan Great Lakes Water Photo Contest," and invited residents to view many of the entries on her Web site.
"I am so pleased to have received so many beautiful photographs of the Great Lakes and other bodies of water surrounding our community," Valentine said. "I had no idea that we had so many talented photographers in the Muskegon area. Choosing the winners was a very tough decision, and that's why we chose five winners and five honorable mentions."
The five contest winners are Michael Reid, for his photo of Lake Michigan; J. Jurkas for a photo of a wintry lake harbor; Dana Schrieber for his photo of a fisherman on a pier; Jim Keating for his photo of a misty lake scene; and Amy Lunn for her submission of a photo of children on a beach.
The five honorable mentions are Veronica S. West, Jeffrey Smith, Rita Endres, Candace Krause and Susan Gilliland.
Valentine will present each of the winners with a State Seal at her Great Lakes Protection town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 25, at Whitehall High School Auditorium, 3100 White Lake Drive in Whitehall.
Marguerite Curran-Gawron of the Muskegon Museum of Art, and Doug Hostettler, a local photographer, served as guest judges for the photo contest. All photos that were submitted digitally can be viewed in the photo gallery on Valentine's Web site at valentine.housedems.com.
"Michigan's Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers and streams are part of our culture and our heritage," Valentine said. "As a State Representative, I will continue to work to safeguard our most precious natural resource -- our water -- for future generations."