WINNERS

High Creek Fen

  • Photographer
    Melissa Lynn, United States
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention

High Creek Fen is a rare ecosystem that harbors relict plant species dating back to the last Ice Age. A fen is a wet marshland that stays saturated year-round by groundwater constantly flowing to the surface. Fens also contain a climatological record of pollen, plant, and insect species that can give scientists a view into the past, and they store high levels of carbon, helping to offset climate change. The Nature Conservancy protects this rich fen wetland in Colorado. My artistic process includes utilizing the microbes in the water from the fen to help create the images.