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Alabama Ledger www.AlabamaLedger.com
PAGE 4 March/April 2025
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) has announced the winners of the 2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest. As usual, the judges had a very difficult time selecting the winning images from the nearly 2,000 photos that were entered. “Alabama is a photographer’s paradise thanks to its wide variety of natural landscapes, native plants and wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities,” said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. “From the north Alabama mountains to the state’s Gulf Coast, the winning images in the 2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest highlight the natural beauty of our great state. Congrats to all of this year’s winners!” Sponsors of the 2025 photo contest include Alabama State Parks, the Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officers Association and the Alabama Tourism Department. Each winner will receive a prize pack and be featured in a traveling exhibit in 2025. When the traveling exhibit schedule is finalized, it will be posted on www.outdooralabama.com. The Categories and Winners are shown below. Alabama State Parks • 1st Place - Jennifer Lynn Grainger, Cheaha State Park Overlook • 2nd Place - Will Childers, Gulf State Park Pier at Sunset • 3rd Place - Drew Senter, Peavine Falls at Oak Mountain State Park • Honorable Mention - Christopher Baker, Sunset at Lake Guntersville State Park Birds • 1st Place - Debra Lucas, Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Alabaster • 2nd Place - Mark Watts, Marbled Godwit on Dauphin Island • 3rd Place - Amber Hart, Blue-winged Warbler in Guntersville • Honorable Mention - Brien Keith, Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Baldwin County Wildlife • 1st Place - Christopher Baker, River Otter in Madison • 2nd Place - Loralee Manas, Chipmunk in Huntsville • 3rd Place - Christopher Jessee, Black Bear in Saraland • Honorable Mention - Jim Flynn, Gray Squirrel in Albertville Cold-Blooded Critters • 1st Place - Timothy David Huber, Ghost Crab on Dauphin Island • 2nd Place - Christopher Baker, Turtles in Madison • 3rd Place - Gabe Clements, Spiny Softshell Turtle in Birmingham • Honorable Mention - Arthur James Davis, Bullfrog in Daphne • Bugs and Butterflies • 1st Place - Jeff Lynn Payne, Bee in Morris • 2nd Place - Cary Bone, Ants in New Market • 3rd Place - Christopher Baker, American Lady Butterfly in Huntsville • Honorable Mention - Angela Dothard, Bee in Anniston Sweet Home Alabama • 1st Place - Christopher Baker, Old Red Mill in Albertville • 2nd Place - Virginia Mitchell, Fort Morgan in Baldwin County • 3rd Place - Brent Eanes, USS Alabama Battleship in Mobile • Honorable Mention - Elizabeth Marie Renevier, Bellingrath Gardens Fountain Nature-Based Recreation • 1st Place - Christopher Baker, Exploring Stephens Gap in Jackson County • 2nd Place - Keith Bozeman, Kayaking the Tennessee River at Sunset • 3rd Place - Keith Bozeman, Kayaker and Bald Cypress on the Tennessee River • Honorable Mention - Elizabeth Marie Renevier, Sunset Bubbles on Magnolia Beach Shoots and Roots • 1st Place - Brad Lackey, Puffball Mushroom in Huntsville • 2nd Place - Arthur James Davis, Fly Agaric Mushrooms at Splinter Hill Bog • 3rd Place - Caroline Reese Thornton, Mushrooms in Rockford • Honorable Mention - Brad Lackey, Fiddlehead Fern in Mentone Scenic • 1st Place - Edward Townsend, Green Mountain Nature Trail Covered Bridge • 2nd Place - Keith Bozeman, Lower Caney Creek Falls in Bankhead National Forest • 3rd Place - Joshua Norman Smith, Milky Way Over Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island • Honorable Mention - Virginia Mitchell, Mize Mills Falls in Bankhead National Forest Young Photographers • 1st Place - Killette Joan Brickley (age 10), Green Lynx Spider in Scottsboro • 2nd Place - Finn Jerome Larche (age 14), Royal Tern in Baldwin County • 3rd Place - Weston Lee Brown (age 11), Wild Turkeys in Gordo • Honorable Mention - Margaret Lamey Singleton (age 16), Soldier Creek For more info visit https://www.outdooralabama.com/photocontest. 2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest Winners
Daylight Saving Time Is Not A 'Dreaded' Time of Year
Opinion Column By Brandon K. Pierce Alabama Ledger Publisher It is finally Spring. With that, many folks are celebrating Daylight Saving Time, which has ushered in longer days and more evening hours of sunshine. In my opinion this is an absolutely fantastic time of year! So why are some people so negative, and upset about having to change their clock for Daylight Saving Time? Maybe one reason is because it is in their nature to be negative? Whatever the reason, get over it. Most folks enjoy this time of year. I mean what could be better than a sunny, 70-degree day and more evening hours of sunshine to enjoy! Yes, some days it rains. But despite the few gloomy days, the trees are blooming,
recently.
and the grass is getting green. And many folks are currently, or maybe soon will be, enjoying the longer days during Spring Break at the beach or mountains! Do you still dread and dislike Daylight Saving Time? Many folks do. Even the LaGrange Daily News. “It is that dreaded time of year again,” the Georgia newspaper wrote in a recent opinion article. Why would anyone dread it? Is it because you lost one hour of sleep. Well, maybe you should have planned accordingly and went to bed earlier. I mean one night is not likely to disrupt sleep patterns or cause major health issues as some may suggest. Some folks believe that more automobile accidents occur in daylight hours. The roads are always dangerous, day or night. I mean, have you driven on Highway 431
Alabama's Department and Natural Resources had an outstanding 2024. David Rainer recently of Conservation wrote in his Alabama Outdoor weekly column that, "through a variety of funding sources, ADCNR has utilized more than $218 million for Alabama State Parks improvements, has facilitated the investment of more than $385 million in Coastal Alabama, and has ensured more than $37 million has gone to boating and fishing access improvements." Additionally last year, 660,397 hunters and anglers supported conservation and Alabama's outdoors recreation industry through the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses. Over 660,000 Hunting and Fishing Licenses Purchased Daylight Saving Time or not, take time to enjoy this time of year and the upcoming summer months. It will be back to a miserable dark winter soon enough! What about the people who can not see how to drive at night? Having extra evening daylight hours provide these folks with more time for shopping, doctor visits, and maybe even time to go to a restaurant with family and friends. There is also research that suggests more daylight hours can lead to increased consumer spending and maybe even lead to decreased crime. I understand that not all crimes occur at night, but I for one sure feel better walking to my car in the daylight than after dark. No matter if you like
New Gadsden Regional CEO
Gadsden Regional Medical Center has named Michael Hall as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective March 31, 2025. Hall has more than a decade of healthcare leadership experience, most recently serving as CEO of Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri. In this role and throughout his career, he has led initiatives to grow access to services, recruit physicians, drive quality improvements, increase patient satisfaction, and employee and physician engagement. He also has a passion for nurturing organizational culture and managing staff growth. “Michael brings a wealth of operational experience and a dedication to providing exceptional care that will greatly benefit Gadsden Regional Medical Center,” stated Wilbur “Bubba” Masters, Chair
Michael Hall
of the Gadsden Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees. “We were especially impressed by his unwavering pursuit of excellence and are confident he will be a valuable addition to both the hospital and our community.” Hall earned both his Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has been an active member of multiple community and civic organizations throughout his career.
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