Photo Contest

Missouri National Recreational River is one of America's special places.  The United States Congress has set aside some 126 miles of the free-flowing Missouri River and its tributaries for the benefit and enjoyment of this and future generations.  This year marks the 30th anniversary of the "rec river," a unit of the National Park System, and the 40th anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, of which the "rec river" is a part.

One way of commemorating these two anniversaries is through a photo contest.  The park staff, therefore, invites all shutterbugs--young and old and in between--to get out and to explore the park, to snap some shots of this slice of America's natural and cultural history, and to submit your favorite photo(s) to the Missouri National Recreational River Photo Contest.  Entries should depict the natural, cultural, scenic, or recreational values of the park.

You can submit photos either in person at the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center by Gavins Point Dam or by mail.  The postal address is MNRR, P.O. Box 66, Yankton, SD  57078.  The minimum size for prints is 4" X 6" and the maximum size is 11" X 14".  Please submit just the photo(s); do not frame or mount them.  You may submit as many photos as you like.  The contest will end on October 26.

Six prizes will be awarded: first, second and third place for entrants eighteen years of age and under, and first, second and third for entrants over the age of eighteen.  The six winning entries will become the property of the National Park Service and will be displayed in the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center.  All the other photos will be returned to the person who submitted them.

For further information on the Photo Contest, please call George Berndt at 402/667-2550.

Missouri National Recreational River comprises two free-flowing segments of the Missouri River that still exhibit some of the river conditions and adjacent natural landscapes encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, now slightly more than 200 years ago.  The western 39 miles stretch from Fort Randall Dam to Running Water, SD, and includes 20 miles of the lower Niobrara River and 8 miles of Verdigre Creek.  The eastern 59 miles stretch from Gavins Point Dam to Nebraska's Ponca State Park.