Pro-Tour of the Eagle Ford

Images for Conservation Fund is proud to announce the Pro-Tour of Nature Photography of the Eagle Ford Shale Region!

This Tournament will be held in October of 2014 and will pair 20 professional photographers with 20 ranches and exploration companies in the Eagle Ford Shale Region of Texas. For 31 days these teams will work to produce a portfolio of images capturing all aspects of the wildlife and native habitat on their ranch in an effort to win the favor of our judges and their share of up to $300,000.00 in cash prizes.

Private landowners are the key to meaningful, lasting wildlife conservation. What remains of the once vast Texas ranch lands is critical to the survival of countless species and we must do what we can to preserve it. We know that Texas ranchers love their lands and are doing all they can to keep them in tact. Economics is the key to keeping these ranches in one piece, today, and for generations to come. So long as these proven stewards have the means to maintain their ranches, these lands will remain safe from urbanization and will continue to be a safe haven for wildlife.

Oil and gas exploration revenue is a key income source for many Texas ranchers. Unfortunately, the bad actions of a few compounded by segments of the media opposed to oil and gas exploration have created the impression that exploration and wildlife can’t coexist. Our experience has shown us that this is not true. We know that responsible exploration companies are working closely with landowners to minimize any negative effects on wildlife and native habitat, and that great efforts are made to preserve both. This story has not been told.

It is our belief that exploration and wildlife can coexist. The Pro-Tour of the Eagle Ford is a unique opportunity to prove this. The images produced during this tournament will capture the relationship between the exploration company, the landowner, and the wildlife. As with our previous Pro-Tour projects, ICF will publish a book documenting the tournament with images and text. The resulting story will be a powerful telling of this coexistence that we hope will help to promote responsible exploration, and the conservation of the Texas ranch country and wildlife in the Eagle Ford Shale Region of Texas.

Please check back with this page for future updates.