Break out your cameras and hiking boots! Historic Jefferson College, in Washington, is having an outdoor photography contest to collect images for its T.J. Foster Memorial Nature Trail sign project. Thanks to a recreational trails grant from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, our nature trail (located behind Historic Jefferson College) will soon be outfitted with 20 permanent full-color signs that examine the plants and animals seen along the trail.

Many people don’t even know we have these beautiful nature trails. The long trail is about .9 miles, while the short one is about .5 miles. The joint entry path adds another .2 miles, so it’s a pleasant little hike over some rugged and hilly terrain. The path winds through old growth oak and poplar forest, down by St. Catherine Creek, and up along a ridge line.

The contest is open anyone with an interest in photography, amateur or professional.  Your pictures can be taken anywhere, and you don’t even have to be a Mississippi resident to enter. You do, however, have to pick your images from the list we will provide. Photographers may submit up to 25 shots, and you can have multiple images of the same items.

All entries must be submitted digitally, either on a CD/DVD or via e-mail, with specific size and reference requirements, along with the entry form. You can pick one up out here, or I’ll be happy to mail or email you one. Only those images on the photography list will be accepted.

Please be a little daring! Use your wits and maybe some stealth to grab some shots of less common images — I know I need pictures of a red-shouldered hawk, a belted kingfisher, and a bobcat track. I also realize some items, like mayapple and trillium, may not be in season. But look back over your photo albums — maybe you took a beautiful picture a few years ago that you could submit. The harder the image is to find, the better chance you have of winning that category!

Winning entries of each image will be printed on the permanent Nature Trail signs, along with a line crediting the photographer. When you bring your family out to hike on the trail, you’ll be able to point to your picture and name and say, “See, I took that!”

The deadline for entering the contest is Sept. 30. For more information, or to receive an entry form, please call me at HJC, 601-442-2901 or hjc@mdah.state.ms.us.

Robin Seage Person is the Historic Jefferson College branch director.