County's Natural Beauty Highlighted in 2013 Calendar

Hillsborough County is inviting residents to keep track of their days while appreciating the county's precious resources.

The free 2013 Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program calendar is available at various locations.

Photos for the 2013 ELAPP calendar were selected following a photo contest. Amateur and professional photographers of all ages were invited to submit photos portraying the natural beauty of the county's 60 ELAPP sites.

The 187 submitted photos were posted on the county’s Facebook page and residents had an opportunity to vote for their favorite photos.

The top 34 vote-getters were then reviewed by a panel of judges who made the final selection for the calendar.

A bobcat photo by George L. Veazey III of Temple Terrace received the most public votes overall, and it is featured, along with 25 more photos, in the calendar.

Veazey actually has eight photos in the calendar -- the cover photo and the months of February, April, May, July, September, November, December and the cover photo. For having the photo with the most votes, Veazey will receive a private canoe tour of Cockroach Bay Preserve.

A lifelong Hillsborough County resident, Veazey worked for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for 35 years, retiring in 2006. He said he fell in love with photography while he was a student at the University of South Florida, working on the yearbook staff.

After retiring from the sheriff's office, he pursued his photography in earnest, focusing on the county's native wildlife and natural resources.

His works are currently on display at The Art Lounge Gallery, 119 E. Reynolds St., Plant City.

Other winning photos were taken by Donna Bollenbach of Valrico, featured in January; Robert Heath of Riverview, featured in March and June; Mariella Smith of Ruskin, featured in August; and Herman Cook of Valrico, featured in October. These winners will receive a Tampa Bay pontoon boat tour.

To get a free copy of the 2013 ELAPP calendar, visit:

Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department

• Administration, 10119 Windhorst Rd. in Tampa
• Bell Creek Office, 10940 McMullen Rd. in Riverview
• Cockroach Bay Preserve Office, 3709 Gulf City Rd. in Ruskin
• Lake Frances Preserve Office, 10225 Woodstock Rd. in Odessa

Hillsborough County Center

• Communications & Digital Media Services Department, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. 1st Floor, in Tampa

Public Utilities Department Customer Service Centers

• Northwest, 15610 Premiere Dr. (off Northdale Boulevard, one block west of Dale Mabry Highway)
• South - Central - Brandon Support Operations Complex, 332 N. Falkenburg Rd.

For more information, contact Conservation Services at 813-672-7876.

Note: Conservation Services contacted Patch to let us know the calendars are no longer available at local libraries. All were given out within a couple of days.