Texas Hill Country landowners are invited to apply now for participation in the world's first Pro-Tour of Nature Photography, to be held in April 2006. This championship event will team 20 renowned nature photographers from North America and Europe with 20 landowners to compete for a share of up to $160,000 in cash. The application deadline is April 1, 2005.

"This event promotes the Texas Hill Country as a major destination for nature photographers everywhere," says John F. Martin, Chairman and founder of the Images for Conservation Fund (ICF). "We created ICF and the Pro-Tour to establish nature photo tourism as a significant new revenue stream for private landowners. As nature photographers pay landowners for use of their land, this industry will help landowners, rural areas and wildlife - it's conservation through positive economics."

"The Pro-Tour is a great way for private landowners to learn about nature photography and its important potential for ranch income diversification," says Katharine Armstrong, a south Texas landowner, ICF Board member, and former Chair of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission.

The Pro-Tour of Nature Photography seeks landowners with a minimum of 500 acres of wildlife habitat partially or wholly in any of the following 19 counties: Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Llano, Mason, Medina, Real, Travis, Uvalde, and Williamson.

Landowners and photographers will be randomly matched into teams. Each team will submit a 75-image portfolio, and each landowner will receive a copy of their team's portfolio. Award-winning portfolios will win cash awards to be shared by the teammates. A collection of outstanding images will be featured in commemorative coffee-table books and a traveling exhibit for museums and major sponsors.

"There are approximately 23 million Americans who photograph wildlife every year. Through the Pro-Tour of Photography, ICF intends to help create a booming industry where private landowners lease top-quality wildlife photo settings on their land," says Martin. "Lack of ways to create income from land ownership is one of the major reasons family lands are being divided and sold, which in turn is the primary reason for habitat loss."

The 2006 Pro-Tour of Nature Photography is produced in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. Future competitions will feature other beautiful and biologically diverse regions of North America.

The Pro-Tour of Nature Photography offers sponsorship opportunities for corporations, foundations and individuals. For applications and information, call Sam Mason or John F. Martin at (956) 381-1264.