The public is being invited to submit their best pictures to the second annual Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve photography contest. This event is an opportunity to share your unique views of this very special natural area and its wildlife, promoters say.

This contest is open to amateur photographers only and photos must be submitted by December 15, 2010. The entry fee is $10 per photo and photos must have been taken at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.

For complete contest rules and entry forms visit the Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve website at www.sloughpreserve.org or stop by the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Interpretive Center.

You will be notified by January 20, 2011 if you have won or placed in the contest. Awards will be presented at a Photo Contest Celebration to be held at the Slough Interpretive Center on February 5, 2011.

The Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is a beautiful wetland preserve with a raised boardwalk open to the public seven days a week from dawn until dusk. The trail is fully accessible and consists of a three-quarter of a mile lower loop or the entire trail is 1.2 miles long.

Visitors will see examples of old Florida in the plants and animals that live there. This natural setting provides the perfect backdrop for photos of wildlife such as wading birds, turtles, alligators, otters, squirrels, woodpeckers, butterflies, dragonflies and more.

Opportunities for photographers to find unique settings and subjects to take pictures of are plentiful whether walking out on the trail or sitting at a pond overlook.