Brock Stanaland
Brock Stanaland is the recipient of the 2022 Long-Term Project of the Year Award for Natural Resources.
Brock Stanaland’s amazing wildlife photography makes him a perfect fit for the PhotoPoint project at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. With nearly 58,000 acres of land, the prairie is the largest endangered dry prairie in Florida.
Prescribed fire, invasive plant management and imperiled species management occur across the landscape by our dedicated team. One way to visually document the success of our resource management programs is through PhotoPoints placed strategically across the landscape. There are currently 53 PhotoPoints, and each requires annual visits. It takes an immense amount of time to navigate and traverse our trails via all-terrain vehicle, walk out to the center of a management zone (our largest zone is 5,207 acres) and take a sequence of photos at each point.
In 2019, Brock signed up as a volunteer, completed our ATV training course, and has completed multiple sets of each PhotoPoint since. Over these three years, he has walked through thick vegetation, driven through variable trail conditions, and encountered some potentially dangerous wildlife on his quests to the PhotoPoints.
Not only has he successfully completed PhotoPoints in rough environmental conditions, but he has also done it with a positive attitude and a smile on his face. He is trustworthy, reliable and self-motivated – all qualities needed (and appreciated) by the park biologist who has many things to keep track of!
Even on his days off, Brock can be found on the park drive looking for wildlife to photograph with his personal equipment.
Thank you, Brock. We are incredibly grateful for your efforts on the PhotoPoint project and stunning wildlife images to share with our visitors!
Learn How You Can Get Involved
