Loving Our Lakes Award winner was Patrick Pfefferkorn’s photo from Tippecanoe Lake.

News Release

NORTH WEBSTER — There’s no question some of the most beautiful scenery is in the Tippecanoe River watershed, which spans more than 60 lakes and streams that offer captivating images all year long.

The Watershed Foundation’s 11^th annual photo contest, “Picture Your Watershed,” aimed to capture a glimpse of that beauty through the collective lens of the area’s photographers.

Rucel Martinez’s entry of Winona Lake was the People’s Choice Award winner.

“Over the course of a year, local residents see so much beauty on and in our local waters. Sometimes, in even a matter of minutes, the landscape changes and the majority of us miss moments just a few of us might capture photographically. Through our photo contest, we are able to see some of what makes our community so exceptional,” explained Jennifer Zartman Romano, communications coordinator for The Watershed Foundation.

The annual competition is open to all pictures taken in the Upper Tippecanoe River watershed and surrounding land, an area spanning from Crooked Lake in Whitley County through portions of Noble County and continuing into Kosciusko County and Warsaw.

Pictures were accepted until Dec. 31, and then open voting for the “People’s Choice” award began. A panel of judges from TWF evaluated the rest of the entries for additional awards.

Winners included:

People’s Choice — Rucel “Rusty” Martinez — “Winona Lake”

Wet n’ Wildlife Award — Jerry C. Johnson — “Webster Lake”

Pollution Solutions Award — Michael O’Connor — “Lake Tippecanoe”

Nature’s Studio Award — Mark Baumgartner — “Irish Lake”

Lovin’ Our Lakes Award — Patrick Pfefferkorn — “Lake Tippecanoe”

“Thank you to all of the photographers — amateur and professional — who participated this year,” Romano added. “We were able to see some incredible photography representing a large portion of our watershed, showing countless beautiful moments which highlight why TWF’s work to protect the quality of our local lakes and streams is so important.”

Prizes for each category were donated by Bart’s Watersports in North Webster.