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After nearly 500 submissions and a competitive review process, it's time to cast your vote for your favorite images from our "Leave No Trace" Summer Photography Contest. Take a look at the 10 finalists below and read comments from the photographers themselves about how they got the shot and where they like to enjoy Westminster's natural beauty. 

Be sure to vote for up to three of your favorites using the form at the bottom of this page. Voting closes Sunday, August 13, and the top three winners will be announced in The Westy email newsletter on Thursday, August 17. If you have not signed up for The Westy email newsletter yet, you can sign up on our homepage.

Learn more here about Westminster's Leave No Trace initiative and how the City is taking the necessary steps to preserve these natural resources for future generations of Westminster residents.

Photo 1

Photographer: Bruce Tohill

Location: Big Dry Creek Trail near Front Range Community College

About This Photo: "In past years, this area had many of these prickly poppy plants; bees loved them and I
photographed many of them. Recently however, probably due to climate change, they have disappeared
along with many of the bees."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "Big Dry Creek Trail between Westminster City Park
and Zuni Street is my favorite nature preserve close to home. It has an amazing diversity of wildlife and
wildflowers and is a quiet place to recharge and get some exercise."

Photo 2

Photographer: Ed Neville, www.EdNeville.com

Location: Hyland Ponds Open Space

About This Photo: "I love the year-round scenic beauty of the Hyland Ponds Open Space."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "My favorite “place” in Westminster is to bike Big Dry
Creek from Standley Lake to Big Dry Creek Park on W. 128th, you get to immerse yourself in the “‘Wild
Westy” nature corridor experience."

Photo 3

Photographer: Ekpanith Jom Naknakorn

Location: Westminster Station

About This Photo: "This is the kind of place and play that a child really need, especially after a long day in
the urban and summer camp. After the train ride back from the city, we stopped by this creek before
heading home. This good dose of nature marked the great end of the day for our family. My four-year-old
daughter jumped right in to walk on the steps and let her feet touch the water and enjoy the calm and
beautiful moment. She did not want to go home and can't get enough of this calm and free play she could
have here. It was just so much fun and relaxing for her, she told mommy and daddy to listen to the sound
of water, she looked for the animals, walked on the stepping stones, and soaked her toes in the running
creek water. She was happy and so we were as we look at her. That was the perfect evening for us in this
park."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "Here! Little Dry Creek next to Westminster Train
Station. It is a great transition from coming back to the city, like the nature welcoming us back again. The
creek is really nice, clean and calm. Perfect for a morning breakfast picnic spot before catching the train
as well. We love this park."

Photo 4

Photographer: Perry Lee Linquist

Location: West Side of Hidden Lake

About This Photo: "I’m a resident at Yacht Club and am on the lake often. This day I had a GoPro on a sign
and had been herding the geese toward it. They swam away to the center of the lake and I backed up to
the bank waiting to see if the color would pop. Instead, I heard them take off and barely saw them coming
toward me at water level and caught this as they pulled up."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "My favorite place is Hidden Lake."

Photo 5

Photographer: Bryan Button, www.button.photography

Location: Legacy Ridge Golf Course, Hole 17

About This Photo: "There are a couple of good lookouts over the city that I know of for photos, this place
being one of them. When I saw the light pouring through the clouds that evening I basically raced out of
the house to get to this spot just in time to capture this scene. It had to have been one of the coolest
sunsets I've seen so far in the area. Truly breathtaking."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "Personally I love the portion of Big Dry Creek in
north Westminster. The hill at the southwest corner of Federal and 120th is a great place to look out over
part of the city and surrounding area, and the trails are always so enjoyable to walk along. Not to mention
Metzger Farm."

Photo 6

Photographer: Nate Eha, facebook.com/nate.eha

Location: Southeast end of Standley Lake, near Greenway Trail

About This Photo: "On that particular evening I had gone to photograph some baby Great Horned Owls in
the area. I noticed this Red-tailed Hawk hanging out in one of the cottonwoods and stopped to get some
shots. As I was taking the first couple shots, he took off from the tree and swooped down to the ground in
pursuit of a rodent. I was fortunate enough to have the hawk in frame/focus as it happened and snapped
as many shots as I could!"

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "Standley Lake is our favorite place to experience the
natural beauty of Westminster. My wife and I walk our dog to the lake every evening and get to enjoy
beautiful mountain view sunsets. There is also always interesting avian wildlife in and around the park to
enjoy."

Photo 7

Photographer: Donny O’Neill, @oneill_dm @throughthetrees.creative

Location: Hyland Ponds Open Space

About This Photo: "Hyland Ponds Open Space provides a perfect peek at the mountains and foothills of
the northern Front Range. Every day, no matter the time of year, you can watch the sun travel across the
sky before dipping below mountains in excess of 12,000 feet as a good night to all in the Metro Area.
Note: The photographer was nearly eaten alive by mosquitoes to obtain this frame."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "Standley Lake, Westminster Hills Open Space."

Photo 8

Photographer: Sarah Lundberg, @ssalco_

Location: Butterfly Pavilion

About This Photo: "The Butterfly Pavilion has always been one of my favorite places to visit in
Westminster since I was a child. I remember going there and mustering up the strength and bravery to hold
Rosie the tarantula while learning about all the different bugs and being surrounded by butterflies. So, once
I started developing an interest in photography as I got older, I knew the Butterfly Pavilion would hold great
pictures to be taken. Although it can be a bit difficult, practicing the art of being still and quiet with the
butterflies to take their photos is so serene. I always enjoy going there to be educated on the study of
entomology and reveling in its beauty."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "A favorite place of mine in Westminster, along with
the Butterfly Pavilion, is the Westminster Hills Dog Park. Growing up, I went to this dog park often. Some
of my fondest memories are waking up early on Sunday mornings to go there with my dad and all four of
the dogs I've had in my lifetime. The surrounding nature holds so much peace and I continue to revisit it to
experience nature's beauty and all the sweet dogs around me."

Photo 9

Photographer: Melissa Swiler

Location: Big Dry Creek Trail

About This Photo: "I love to sit next to the cattails and reeds with my camera and photograph birds. The
female Red-winged Blackbird is somewhat hard to photograph as she doesn't like to sit atop the native
grasses, but rather down in them. However, if you sit quietly and patiently for a good bit it is possible to
get a picture of them. On this day I got lucky. I really like the contrast of colors in this picture!"

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "My favorite place to experience the natural beauty of
Westminster is along Big Dry Creek bike path/trail. There are so many wonderful spots to view native
plants, grasses, flowers and wildlife!"

Photo 10

Photographer: Stephen Stefiuk III

Location: Little Dry Creek Trail

About This Photo: "I was on a nature walk with my seven-year-old son, Stephen. We had heard several
people in our neighborhood talk about fox sightings but we had never seen one in dozens of walks in this
same area. We spotted this guy laying down in the grass right next to the waterway and I was sure my son
would scare him away with his incredibly excited reaction. Luckily, he remained put for me to snap some
photos."

Favorite Place to Experience Nature in Westminster: "I love going to Standley Lake for its natural beauty. I
went on my first organized bird walk on July 15 and I am really excited about going on more. The
volunteers had a long-range sight that allowed us to get fantastic up-close views of the nesting bald
eagles, which was the highlight of the walk."