More than 100 guests from around the county and some from as far as Minnesota and Maui celebrated the winners of the seventh annual Laguna Bluebelt photo contest.
Visitors to the reception hosted by Forest & Ocean Gallery owner Ludo Leideritz met contestants and learned their techniques capturing winning photos of Laguna’s Marine Protected Areas.
An on-line public vote also picked first and second place winners from among over 6,000 visits to the Bluebelt Coalition’s Facebook page to choose the “Best of the Rest.”
Dropping by the reception were Laguna Beach City Councilmember Toni Iseman, City Council candidate Cheryl Kinsman, Laguna Beach County Water District General Manager Renae Hinchey, and water quality managers Joe Ames from Mission Viejo and Drew Atwater from Moulton Niguel Water District, said a coalition statement.
The winning photos serve as a baseline to evaluate the progress in restoring Laguna’s near shore habitat.
