CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Winter has arrived and there are a lot of great opportunities for environmental educational programs through Marshall County Conservation including the annual nature photo contest. Last year’s winner in the Native Wildlife category was Linda Eastman with this amazing picture of a Short-eared Owl.

Marshall County Conservation will be holding the annual photo contest with deadline for entries at midnight on Jan. 31.

All entries must be emailed to mccb@marshallcountyia.gov titled Photo Contest. In the body of the email state the category for the photograph(s), name, address, brief description of the photo (if there are multiples) and phone number. Only digital photos email to MCCB will be accepted.

Photographs will be judged the week of Feb. 7, for categories: Scenic (Natural Resources), Native Wildlife, Native Plants, Open Nature and Outdoor Recreation. Winners of each category will receive a $20 gift certificate.

For more information about the contest and the categories check out the Marshall County Conservation Facebook or the county website at www.marshallcountyia.gov/510/Annual-Photo-Contest. The week of Feb. 7-14, all photographs received will be posted on Facebook. The photograph that gets the most likes for Peoples’ Choice will win a $20 gift certificate. All certificates will be mailed to winners.