Urban tree photo contest winner named

Lifelong Hot Springs resident Dave Hays was recently awarded a Pandora bracelet by Mark Fleischner, former chair of the Hot Springs Urban Forestry Advisory Committee and owner of Lauray’s The Diamond Center, as the winner of the committee’s 2011 Fall Photo Contest.

The contest rules call for photographs of trees within a residential area inside city limits. Hays’ winning shot, taken with an Olympus DSLR E-520 camera, was taken on a November morning in the Mill Pond area off of Park Avenue, where the many hues of fall foliage were reflected by the water. Hays, whose hobbies include photography and music, has captured many scenes in the Hot Springs area. He also has photos from all 50 states and several foreign countries where he and his wife have visited over the years. This was his first time entering the contest.

For information on Hot Springs’ Urban Forestry Program, call 321-6778.