13th Annual Photo Contest
Categories: Landmarks, River Towns, Susquehanna Adventures, and Wildlife
Entry period: 2024
Traveling Gallery Locations
2024
October & November – Switchboard Studios & Gallery, Columbia, PA
December – Public Library for Union County, Lewisburg, PA
2025
January – Bald Birds Brewing Company, Jersey Shore, PA
February – Barrell 135, Williamsport, PA
March & April – Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, Columbia, PA
May – Blough Weis Library at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA
June – The Kind Cafe, Selinsgrove, PA
July – Capitol Building East Wing Rotunda, Harrisburg, PA
August & September – The Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock, PA
October & November – The Exchange Gallery, Bloomsburg, PA
December – Public Library for Union County, Lewisburg, PA
Winners
The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership (SGP) is pleased to announce the winners of the 13th Annual Susquehanna Greenway Photo Contest.
Entries from all across the state poured in during the three-month contest period, which ran from May 2024 to July 2024. Contest categories included Susquehanna Landmarks, Treasured River Towns, Susquehanna Adventures, and Wildlife.
Please note, the following images are displayed in accordance to a limited license awarded to the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership by the photographers. All copyrights to these images are reserved by the noted photographer. Do not duplicate or reproduce these images without the written consent of the given photographer.
1st Place & Grand Prize Winner: Emily Musser
Category: Adventures
Location: Middletown, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “My German Shorthaired Pointer named River looking for minnows and crayfish after storm clouds passed and the sun was peeking through.”
2nd Place Winner: George Kurzik
Category: Susquehanna Adventures
Location: Wrightsville, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “A fisherman enjoys the solitude in the mists just above Turkey Hill.”
3rd Place Winner: Julie Manwarren
Category: Susquehanna Adventures
Location: Pittston, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “A Modern-Day Huck Finn Adventure on the Susquehanna. My son, Nathaniel Manwarren, was invited by his cousins and friends to go on a rafting trip in 2019. They built the raft themselves. That first year, it was basically a floating platform made of pallets secured to barrels. They floated down the Susquehanna River and had a wonderful time, fishing, swimming, and just having a good time together. They slept on the raft and went as far as the river would take them in three days. They have gone almost every year since (except for one year where a few of the guys overhauled a bus and they went on a road trip, but that’s a different story.) Each year the group gets bigger, and so does the raft. The raft usually takes a day to build, but they plan it out for months. In July 2023, they built their biggest raft to date- a triple-deck raft, still made using pallets and barrels as the main material. They launched from Falls, PA. As always, they made sure that it was legal and had life vests and fishing licenses with them. They have no motor, but kayaks tied to the boat help to steer and guide it along. The boys on their raft floated beneath the Water Street Bridge in Pittston last summer (2023.) I took this picture of them as they were about to go under the Water Street Bridge. The Fort Jenkins Bridge can be seen in the background. The boys reported that all along the river, people were waving at them, cheering them on. Trucks that drove by honked their horns.”
1st Place Winner: Dan Myers
Category: Landmarks
Location: Wrightsville, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “Woke up in the morning on 1/23/24 and saw the beautiful sunrise clouds. Couldn’t get to the river fast enough. Image captured from the boat ramp at the John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville, PA.”
2nd Place Winner: Daniel Hurtt
Category: Landmarks
Location: Bainbridge, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “New to the area, my wife and I picked a local trail. Fellow walkers said to us that the cliffs were near. What cliffs? Our random hike quickly turned into a ‘wow’ moment. Noticing bikers, too, I threw my drone up and captured this moment in time. We’ll definitely be back.”
3rd Place Winner: George Kurzik
Category: Landmarks
Location: Marietta, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “A sunset image over Accomac Hill viewed from the bend in the Susquehanna River from Chiques Rock.”
1st Place Winner: Danielle Weld
Category: River Towns
Location: Clearfield, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “My daughter wanted to walk in the snow that was coming down heavily. So we bundled up and walked; the views did not disappoint!”
2nd Place Winner: Tony Ragusea
Category: River Towns
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “On this October day I had been shooting photography of autumn colors with my drone near Bald Eagle State Park. As I was driving east toward Lewisburg I followed a storm that was creating dramatic clouds. I arrived in Lewisburg just as the rain passed, hoping there might still be a shot of the storm worth taking. That’s when I saw this rainbow appear! I quickly got my drone in the sky and took this panorama before the rainbow vanished.”
3rd Place Winner: Shawn Lesitsky
Category: River Towns
Location: Marysville, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “When I first saw this view on my hike, I was excited to capture the charming small town of Marysville and many iconic Susquehanna landmarks. The closer you look at this photo, the more there is to discover. From the Rockville Bride in the foreground to the cooling towers of Three Mile Island in the distance.”
1st Place Winner: Timothy Coover
Category: Wildlife
Location: Maytown, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “A bee sits and takes a break to enjoy some water out of the bird bath.”
2nd Place Winner: Michael Yatsko
Category: Wildlife
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “On this particular morning I headed to the river to get some drone shots of the newly formed ice. As I was flying around I noticed a large group of birds hanging out on an ice shelf at the edge of the river on City Island. Typically birds do not like the drone but for this shot I was using a 150mm lens on my camera and was able to stay 140 feet about them while taking the shot. They never even knew I was there.”
3rd Place Winner: Michael Dreese
Category: Wildlife
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “I visited Wildwood Park near Harrisburg, PA, in late February. The male Red-winged Blackbirds had just arrived and were busy establishing and defending their breeding territories. I noticed several birds in a nearby patch of cattails in the marsh. One of the birds displayed his red epaulets, and I framed up a nice composition. The sidelight provided a nice even warm light. An added bonus was the bits of the cattail in the mouth of the bird. His breeding plumage was bright and vibrant. The Red-winged blackbird and its distinctive song are iconic representations of the marsh in late winter/early spring.”
1st Place Winner: John Reitzel
Category: People’s Choice
Location: Wrightsville, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “Every morning I wake up around 5am. I always check out the sky to see if I think there’s going to be a good sunrise. It’s hard to predict, but this particular, when I looked out, I saw an interesting cloud formation and thought this is going to be a good one. I quickly grabbed my camera and off to the Wrightsville river park I went. I got there just in time to capture this magnificent sunrise.”
2nd Place Winner: John Reitzel
Category: People’s Choice
Location: Conejohela Flats, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “The Golden Hour – I was Kayaking at the Conejoehela Flats just as the sun was starting to rise. There was a little mist rising from the water, and the lighting was perfect. I floated around a small island, and saw this beautiful Great White Egret, seemingly posing for me. I slowly floated towards it, allowing me to get this photo.”
3rd Place Winner: John Reitzel
Category: People’s Choice
Location: Conejohela Flats, PA
Story Behind the Shot: “Kayaking at the Conejohela Flats on a foggy morning at sunrise, I saw this silhouette of a Great Blue Heron with the foggy hills in the background.”