Chairman's Column
John F. Martin, Chairman
Images for Conservation Fund

The Images for Conservation Fund (ICF) just completed the Awards Celebration for the 2006 Pro-Tour of Nature Photography, its inaugural flagship event. The ICF Board also held one of its best meetings ever, welcoming two new Board members: Art Cahoon of Jacksonville, Florida, and Pat Rangel from Dallas, Texas. Several committees were appointed to review the Pro-Tour rules, ICF�s organizational structure as it relates to regional organizations, and our five-year plan.

Five years is a long time to plan anything. Yet it was almost five years ago, in January 2002, that pro photographer Wendy Shattil and I sat over coffee on the morning of my first North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) Board of Directors meeting and defined the Pro-Tour of Nature Photography. From plan to actual implementation of any idea requires the right combination of ingredients for a successful outcome. The most important is finding the right people at the right time. ICF has been extremely fortunate in that regard.

First, Sam Mason accepted the challenge of being our first and only employee. Sam had worked at the Valley Land Fund on their wildlife photo competition and knew more about operation of a photo tournament then anyone else. He has proven a vital asset to our organization.

However, in order for us to succeed, ICF needed an operations person in the Texas Hill Country who understood project management. Recently retired Dell executive Bob Petersen, who was serving on the Texas board of Environmental Defense (ED) and had recently purchased a ranch for his own wildlife enjoyment, listened to Sam talk to the ED board about the Pro-Tour of Nature Photography and private lands conservation through photo tourism. Thinking it sounded like a good idea, Bob volunteered to help. Little did he realize how much we needed his help. Bob became the Chairman of the Hill Country Advisory Board and Vice-Chair of ICF. Bob�s experience at Dell was in project management, and he used everything he knew to get us to this point. Bob pulled together a winning team and it was he and his team that completed the first and richest all-professional nature photographic tournament ever held! Claire Vau ghan made sure our social events were first class, and Roger Zessin used his charms and fund raising ability to help it all happen.

It all began with the ICF Symposium for Landowners and Photographers and the Pro-Tour Launch Party, chaired by Shelly Plante and Claire Vaughan. The Symposium was an all-day event at TMI on Saturday, March 18, with all 180 seats filled with enthusiastic participants. The evening was capped off by a great party at the Gallagher Headquarters that ended with the double-blind matching of the 17 Pro-Tour landowners and photographers into teams, with photography set to begin April 1, 2006. The Symposium and Launch Party committees had succeeded beyond our expectations and should be commended by all.

The month of April turned out to be unique for the Texas Hill Country. The entire region had received little or no rain for 9 months, making it one of the driest periods in recent history. Every photographer endured hardships in one form or another, some more than others. With few mammals and almost no wildflowers, our pros were stretched to the limits of their endurance to fill the 75 images from the five Pro-Tour divisions in only one month! Landowners, Photographers and their helpers worked 18-hour days hoping to find subjects and landscapes that would become extraordinary photographs. The month ended with most photographers filling their portfolios with all 75 images.

The month of May was filled with receiving submissions, preparing the images for judging and then the judging process. Sam worked for two weeks in April developing the process for double-blind judging and then another two weeks in May preparing the images for judging. The Judges arrived, Art Wolfe from Washington, Stephen Freligh from Virginia, and Roz Cox from Great Britain. We owe much thanks to AEP Texas and Larry Jones for hosting the Judges� arrival reception and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Rusty Ray for hosting the Judges and judging process at the Canyon of the Eagles Lodge. After the judging, at the end of the final day while I was driving with the three judges to dinner, Art Wolfe made an extraordinary statement. He said; �I have been involved in nature photography competitions for 30 years either as a participant or a judge, and the process ICF has created is the fairest I have eve r seen.�

With the judging over and the winners selected, ICF�s attention turned to the Awards Celebration. Shelly Plante and Karen Kilfeather co-chaired the event. I have attended several photo contest awards ceremonies, but I have never seen the sheer magnitude of imagery that the 200 attendees witnessed. Every area of the Hangar Hotel�s Conference Center featured a different form of nature�s beauty: prints, LCD screens, and two projectors shining onto 10-foot screens. For those of you who were unable to attend, you missed an evening of beauty and inspiration. Bob, Shelly, Karen and the entire committee are to be complemented on the complete success of the evening.

Now our focus is on the production and marketing of the inaugural Pro-Tour book, �Images for Conservation: Texas Hill Country Edition.� Pat Rangel is the production chair and editor. Our primary writer is Diane Smith. Diane has written about all the ranches for the book. Pat and Diane are creating a true work of art and education, and anyone who does not own one of these books by the end of the year will be missing a historic piece of conservation, art, education and economics. This inaugural book is destined to become a collector�s edition.

As I stated earlier, we have been truly fortunate to have the right people join at the right time. Our Board of Directors fit that criterion. Bob Petersen has been the point person: organizing, recruiting and even learning to become an accomplished fundraiser. Without his time, effort and expertise there would have been no event. Each of our board members has come through exactly as we needed them. They helped us reach our financial goals through their friends, family, associates and business relationships. Dreams, goals and aspirations are all wonderful, but without people and money they all die a certain and final death.

Finally I would like to point out the important role our sponsors have played. Julio Reyes, Vice-President for AEP Texas, has my undying gratitude. He heard my very first sponsorship presentation. AEP Texas signed on early and strong, not only by being our biggest corporate sponsor at $60,000, but with personnel. AEP�s Larry Jones joined the ICF Texas Hill Country Advisory Board to handle our publicity, but also has become a highly trusted advisor and in-house event photographer! All of our advisory board meetings were held at the AEP offices with lunch and parking already provided. ICF could not have found a better friend and partner than AEP Texas. Katharine Armstrong signed on early as a board member with a strong commitment to our success. She introduced ICF to friends and family (with a board meeting hosted at the Armstrong Ranch), community leaders, and Gulf States Toyota, who signed on as key sponsor. Roberto Zambrano brought CEMEX on as the 3rd Grand Prize Sponsor at a very critical time in our fundraising efforts. Roger Zessin made a major commitment both personally and to raise a total of $35,000. His commitment to the Hill Country event was second only to Bob Petersen. And again there was Bob Petersen, traveling throughout the Hill Country to make presentations to potential sponsors and supporters. He was responsible for recruiting Sudie Burditt and Kerrville as the �Hometown of Nature Photography� and joined by Fredericksburg and Bandera for a total $30,000 commitment over several years. Altogether, between January 2003 and today, ICF has raised for operations and prize money more than $325,000. That makes us the most successful first-time event in history! The PGA, Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT), and the Pro Bass Tournaments all started with no sponsorships of any kind. Our sponsors are to be commended.

I would be remiss if I did not recognize our partners: The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense (ED), Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), and Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) all made commitments and endorsements from their national or state headquarters. All were important, but none more important that the commitment by Texas Parks & Wildlife. TPWD gave us magazine space, articles and radio time, and they are now developing a TV program about the Pro-Tour. But most importantly, they gave us Shelly Plante, TPWD's Nature Tourism Coordinator. Shelly chaired the ICF Symposium and co-chaired the Pro-Tour Awards Celebration. We are deeply indebted to Texas Parks & Wildlife for their commitment to this program.

ICF has a tremendous mission, and we have been fortunate to have attracted talented, hard working, creative individuals representing tremendous organizations. I cannot say thank you enough. I believe we have set the stage for one of the greatest revolutions in history. The Pro-Tour is the �Conservation Event of the Twenty-first Century� and its focus on private lands will change the vision of wildlife protection forever.

Images for Conservation News

2006 Pro-Tour Images and Results Now Online!
Visit www.imagesforconservation.org/gallery for more than 1,200 Online Images from the 2006 Pro-Tour!