Enter Our Big Backyard's photo contest to win an Oxbow camping trip or other prizes

photo of rough-skinned newt at Cooper Mountain Nature Park

Spring 2015 winner: Cooper Mountain Nature Park by Anne Lenzi, Aloha

Anne Lenzi: Early morning hikes have become a tradition for my family. On this particular morning in November we chose one of our favorite parks, Cooper Mountain Nature Park. We were walking along the Cooper Mountain Loop when we spotted this amazing rough skinned newt on the trail.

photo of river otter at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Marianne Nelson, finalist: What a thrill to see playful river otters at Oaks Bottom. We watched one little guy for more than 20 minutes. He swirled through the water, diving for fish. When he caught one, he played with it before he ate it, like a cat wit

Spring 2015 finalist: Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge by Marianne Nelson

Marianne Nelson: What a thrill to see playful river otters at Oaks Bottom. We watched one little guy for more than 20 minutes. He swirled through the water, diving for fish. When he caught one, he played with it before he ate it, like a cat with a mouse.

photo of fairy slipper flower at Oxbow Regional Park

Len Otto: One leaf, one stem, and one flower are all you get for this orchid. Mystical, hidden, incredibly small, and amazingly dainty. Not much taller than a

Spring 2015 finalist: Fairy slipper by Len Otto, Boring

Len Otto: Calypso bulbosa to be precise, but fairy slipper is so much nicer a name. One leaf, one stem, and one flower are all you get for this orchid. Mystical, hidden, incredibly small, and amazingly dainty. Not much taller than a finger, find them in Oxbow Park, early April, right on the forest floor.

photo of beggar's tick at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area

Spring 2015 finalist: Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area by Laura Long, Portland

Laura Long: I snapped this photo last year when my husband and I explored Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area on a glorious late summer morning. The trees, the flowers, the sky...everything was just bursting with life!

May 14, 2015 7 a.m.

Win an annual parks pass, an overnight camping trip at Oxbow Regional Park, a tennis court session, or a round of golf for four people including cart at Glendoveer Golf and Tennis Center.

To win, enter the photo contest for Our Big Backyard, Metro’s quarterly parks and nature magazine.

Submit a photo taken at a park or natural area in the Portland metro region – your friends and family exploring nature, a view of wildlife or a beautiful sunset, for example. Include a description of your experience in a 50-word caption. Where were you? What were you doing? What captured your attention?

The winner will appear on the back cover of the summer 2015 issue of Our Big Backyard.

Send your picture and description by May 31 to [email protected].

Anne Lenzi of Aloha won the photo contest in the spring 2015 issue of Our Big Backyard with her photo of a rough-skinned newt at Cooper Mountain Nature Park.

Here's what Lenzi wrote:

Early morning hikes have become a tradition for my family. On this particular morning in November we chose one of our favorite parks, Cooper Mountain Nature Park. We were walking along the Cooper Mountain Loop when we spotted this amazing rough skinned newt on the trail.

Check out Our Big Backyard magazine for all the latest nature news and other regional highlights, including feature stories, field guides, Q&As, upcoming events and much more.

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