About 150 shutterbugs pointed cameras at the Gorge this summer in a photo contest to encourage a new perspective on the urban waterway.
In a contest sponsored by the Gorge Waterway Action Society, adults, teens and children submitted photographs taken along the waterway for judging. Photos were solicited in March and judging took place in July.
Categories included People, Fun, Water, Wildlife and Environment.
Prizes were donated by a number of local businesses and included an annual pass for Victoria Harbour Ferries, passes to the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney, dinner for two at Canoe Brewpub, and an introductory lesson in open-water rowing.
Members of the Gorge Waterway Action Society explain they hope those who took photos and those who view them will gain a new appreciation for the waterway.
Caren Cameron, an active member and director of the society for 21 years, remembers the Gorge in the 1960s as a place parents warned kids not to swim in.
Doubters existed even in the early '90s, when local groups including the Veins of Life declared the Gorge could be made safe for swimmers, and began cleanup efforts.
Now the beaches and swimming spots are monitored by health authorities and are almost always considered good areas for a saltwater dip.
Cameron noted the tidal actions of the Gorge keep it quite clean.
"It does a pretty good job on its own," she said. - Richard Watts
WINNERS OF 2012 GORGE WATERWAY ACTION SOCIETY PHOTO CONTEST
Children's division
Grand Prize: Caleb Sam
Fun category: Brandon Sam
People category: Kalem Quocksister
Water category: Caleb Sam
Youth division
Grand Prize: Chandler Kerr
Environment Division: Roy Louie
Water category: Chandler Kerr
Adult division
People category: Beth Allan
Fun category: Eduardo Bautista
Water category: Gordon R. Garside
Wildlife category: Val Lechner
People's Choice winner: Geoff Godfrey
People's Choice runner-up: Bill Stadval
