Romeoville Man's Nature Snapshot Wins Photo Contest

ROMEOVILLE, IL — Before Mark Hanna took the photo that would win his the contest, he performed an act of kindness. The Romeoville man saw a snail at the Rock Run Rookery Preserve in Joliet and moved the animal out of the way of a racing bicyclist.

Then he took a shot of the snail unfurled on a log, a photo which ended up winning August's top prize in the Forest Preserve District of Will County's "preserve the moment" photo contest. The contest began in April and will run through December, with monthly winners announced along the way, the forest preserve district said.

“I moved it to safety and went back to my car and got my macro lens, hoping it would still be there,” Hanna said in a statement.

The snail had moved, but not very far — only about four feet, according to Hanna. The amateur photographer snapped the mollusk as it sat on a piece of wood, with its tentacles outstretched.

Hanna takes many pictures in Will County preserves. Last year, he placed third in the overall contest with a photo of a green heron.

“I’m retired, so I go somewhere every day,” he said of his photography hobby.

For winning the contest, Hanna received a $75 gift card, and his photo will qualify for the yearly contest. Winners of the yearly contest receive $500, $250 and $150 gift cards for first, second and third place, respectively.

Honorable mentions for the month were awarded to: Jack Woodard of Elwood for his clear wing hummingbird moth at Rock Run Preserve; Greg Johnson of Bolingbrook for a dragonfly at Birds Junction Marsh;Michelle Wendling of Joliet for a sunset at Lake Renwick Preserve; Eileen Capodice of Minooka for a monarch butterfly at Rock Run Rookery Preserve.

To see the photos of this year's monthly winners and runners up, click here.