Library to display Mingo photo contest entries through January

The Poplar Bluff Municipal Library will be featuring a unique display throughout the month of January, full of colorful photographs of the natural wonders of the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge.

The display features the entries from the annual Mingo Swamp Friends Photography Contest, which is held in the late summer. After the winners are announced in August, the photographs travel the state for display at various outlets for the following 12 months.

Before the January display at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, the photographs were featured at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, the Depot Museum in Sikeston and the Dexter Library. After January, the photo display will move to the Puxico Library, the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in St. Louis and other, unannounced locations.

Poplar Bluff Municipal Library’s Evan Seckler helps set up a display of the Mingo Swamp Friends photo contest entries, which will run through January at the library. DAR/Paul Davis

The contest, according to Swamp Friends member Bruce Beck, is designed to showcase the refuge and its native wildlife, plants and scenery.

“The contest is designed to get people to appreciate the refuge,” said Beck. “We especially try to encourage our young people to appreciate our native plants and animals.”

The contest, said Mingo Visitor Services Ranger Debbie Koenigs, “gives people the opportunity to get out in nature and practice their photo skills.”

Lisa McClendon’s “Birding Beginners” is one of dozens of photographs on display this month at the library. Photo provided

The photo displays, Koenigs said, also are having a positive effect on the refuge.

“I feel like we’ve had more people making day trips to the refuge, and that might be attributed to the contest,” she said.

Entries in the 2019 contest, Beck noted, were very diverse.

“Flutter Fly” by Chloe Joiner, a youth entry in the Mingo Swamp Friends photo contest, is part of the traveling display. Photo provided

“There are flowers, trees, landscapes, insects, snakes, deer ... you name it,” he said. “We’re proud of our photographers. They did a good job of highlighting our Southeast Missouri native animals and plants.”

Librarian Sue Crites-Szostak said the temporary photograph display is a welcome addition to the library.

“This is our sixth year for hosting the Mingo Photography Contest winners, and we’ve never been disappointed,” she said. “As always, the pictures displaying the wonder and beauty of Mingo continue to amaze us.

“They help all of us to understand how Southeast Missouri looked before logging and draining and levees. Both Mingo and the bounty of swamps bring continued value to our communities.”

The Poplar Bluff Municipal Library is open from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For those visiting the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge to capture their own images of nature, it is open to the public during daylight hours year-round, while the visitor center is open from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays through the end of February.

“We have several photography blinds, including two in special areas available by special permits,” Koenigs noted. Anyone interested in utilizing those two blinds can contact the refuge ahead of time at 573-222-3589.