Desert Friend

Several months ago, I submitted 7 horizontal format images to the Colorado National Monument Association for consideration for their 2012 calendar.  Months went by, and I heard nothing.  Honestly, I had given up hope. A couple weeks ago, I received an e-mail that I was on the contributor list.  It didn’t list which image(s) they chose or what size, so the anticipation built as I headed up to the Visitor’s Center the next day to pick up my submissions and my complimentary calendars.  The above image was selected as a teeny-tiny “grid” photo featured on the month of August.

I shot this photo a few short weeks after we moved here in late August of last year.  Early one morning, I headed out on the Devil’s Kitchen/No Thoroughfare Canyon/Echo Canyon trail.  Less than 150 yards from the parking lot, I spied this rabbit chowing down on desert four o’clocks for his early morning meal.  I kept firing off shots as I crept closer, hoping I could get close enough to get something decent.  Out of all the images I snapped, this was the best of the bunch.

I did not receive any compensation for use of the photo, but did receive photo credit next to the photo and also on a contributor’s list on the opening spread of the calendar.  The committee advised that “hundreds of high quality images” were submitted, so I guess I feel lucky that I was one of  36 photographers selected.  The CNMA runs the gift shop at the Visitor’s Center with volunteers, and purchases there help to fund the CNMA’s mission to assist the National Park Service in educational, interpretive and scientific programs at CNM.   You can learn more about CNMA here.

The calendars retail for $12.95 and are available in the Visitor’s Center and many, many locations in the Grand Valley (including my aunt’s downtown store, Alida’s Fruits.) 

Since I spend a lot of time up in the Monument, I’m sure I’ll have more images to submit next year.