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Bryant photos of Idaho roadsides
receive top honors in annual FHWA contest

Two photographs by ITD’s Dan Bryant were awarded first place in national competition sponsored last fall by the Federal Highway Administration.

Bryant, a maintenance foreman in Banks, took top honors in the close-up category for his photograph of Douglas’ Brodiaea, a purple wild flower. It was taken in May at about milepost 72 of Idaho 55.

He also received first place in the planted natives division for his photograph of a firecracker penstemon, taken along Idaho 55. The flowers were planted to reseed the cut bank when the highway was widened to build a center turn bay for the Beehive raft takeout.

A third photograph – a common sunflower – submitted by Bryant received second place in the invasives category and one of a Woodrose was awarded second in the close-up category.

ITD employees, including regular award recipients Cathy Ford and Jack Gant, entered 17 photographs in the national competition. ITD entered three photographs each in protected natives, vegetation management, invasives, close-ups and planted natives and two photos in the public awareness category.

A jury of professional photographers from Minnesota judged 185 images submitted from 15 states (including county highway districts, a Maryland nursery and the motorists) in eight categories. Idaho and Florida were the only states to receive honors in more than one category.

Placing well in the national contest is nothing new for ITD photographers. Last year Ford and Bryant tied for first place in the invasive species category. Gant and Bryant both earned firsts in planted natives and restoration and management, respectively.

Gene Ross earned honorable mention for erosion control photographs in 2001. Bruce Drewes received first place for a photo of a yellow monkey flower in the Island Park area in 1998, the first year ITD entered the national contest.

"The quality of most photos was amazing,” according to contest jurors.

The Federal Highway Administration uses contest entries to illustrate its publications. A number of Idaho photographs have appeared in national magazines and calendars.