Our 2024 Photo Contest Winner Revealed

See All The Top Ranked Photos

To offer a window into their world, we asked our 2024 SCA crew members to submit their best photos from the field and invited our community to vote for their favorite.

These images highlight the vital conservation work performed by SCA program participants on the ground from coast to coast.

1. And The Winner Is: Members In Action On Assateague Island

A young woman wearing a blue SCA shirt and khaki pants crouches on a sandy beach, gently releasing a small bird with a black-and-white body and an orange beak. The background features sparse grassy dunes.

SCA intern Abby Hastings releases a banded American oystercatcher back into the wild at Assateague Island National Seashore in 2024. (Photo Credit: Abby Hastings)

Our star photo of 2024 features SCA intern Abby Hastings releasing a banded American oystercatcher chick back into the wild at Assateague Island National Seashore on the Maryland coast. American oystercatchers are a high-priority species of concern for conservationists. Banding them allows for tracking their movement patterns and helps park rangers and scientists make more informed decisions about how best to support their flourishing.

2. Wildlife In Cordova, Alaska

A brown bear peers through tall, lush green grass and wildflowers in a dense, forested environment. The bear's head is framed by the surrounding greenery.

A curious brown bear peers over the brush in Cordova, Alaska in 2024. (Photo Credit: Shane Balien)

Peek-a-boo, bear! SCA intern Shane Balien snapped this shot of a curious young brown bear peeking over the brush while out in a boat with a team of field biologists conducting a water sampling survey on Prince William Sound. Balian spent his time in the field collecting media to aid the reporting and public relations work of the Forest Service’s Cordova Ranger District in Cordova, Alaska.

3. Mission Moment from Redwood City, California

A split view of a forest trail. On the left, a shaded dirt path lined with ferns and dense trees, while on the right, the same trail is shown after being cleared by an SCA crew. Dappled sunlight filters through the trees.

A before and after view of the Skyline Trail in Redwood, California. The 2024 Bay Area Peninsula Climate Resiliency Crew  trimmed back and widened the trail to create better accessibility for hikers. (Photo Credit: Romil Bhatt)

Before and after: the 2024 Bay Area Peninsula Climate Resiliency Crew  trimmed back and widened part of the Skyline Trail connecting Huddart and Wunderlich Parks in Redwood City, California. Home to redwood, madrone trees, sword ferns and huckleberry, the trail had become clogged with four years of overgrowth accumulated during the pandemic.

4. Natural Landscape From Grand Marais, Minnesota

Panoramic view of a tranquil harbor of Lake Superior at dusk, featuring a lighthouse at the end of a long pier and a faint rainbow in the sky leading directly down to it.

A rainbow arcs downward toward a lighthouse on Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota, in 2024. (Photo Credit: Alyssa Christoffers.)

Our final selection comes from archaeology intern Alyssa Christoffers, who took this dreamy shot of a rainbow leading to a lighthouse on Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The photo was taken after a rainy day out in the field surveying archaeological sites at Superior National Forest.

Turn Inspiration Into Action

SCA crew members can be found in the field year-round, learning new skills while performing necessary work to aid in the conservation of our national treasures. Your donation directly supports their efforts.