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March 14, 2003 marked the hundredth anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System. While it began with one man protecting pelicans on a tiny five-acre island in Florida during President Theodore Roosevelt's term in office, the National Wildlife Refuge System has evolved into the world's largest and most diverse network of lands dedicated to the protection and management of a vast array of wildlife. America's National Wildlife Refuge System now encompasses over 94 million acres on 540 refuges and thousands of waterfowl production areas. Three of those refuges are in Southwest Louisiana: Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, and Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge.

One of the premier chronicles of the Refuge System is a series of wildlife photographs taken by John and Karen Hollingsworth, part of which will be on display in Southwest Louisiana beginning April 11, 2003.

" This is a unique opportunity for Southwest Louisiana," said Chris Pease, manager for the Southwest Louisiana Refuge Complex. "This exhibit is shown in only four locations throughout the United States each year.

" Not only is it our pleasure to host a display of these incredible images, but it's a tremendous opportunity to host the exhibit during the nation's celebration of the Refuge System's Centennial."

Karen Hollingsworth, a nature photographer currently living on the seacoast of Maine, has spent the past 17 years photographing the beauty and extraordinary diversity of habitats and species on more than 400 national wildlife refuges. She and her late husband John are nationally known for their unique contribution to public education and awareness of the National Wildlife Refuge System through their photography, publications, and continual outreach efforts. Their images regularly grace national magazines, books, interpretive exhibits and publications.

Karen and John have received numerous awards for their photographic and conservation efforts including the "Conservation Service Award", the highest honor bestowed by the Department of Interior upon private citizens, the "Refuge Hero Award" from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and an "Outstanding Contribution Award" in the Taking Pride in America Campaign.

The Hollingsworths "discovered" the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1984 when they visited and photographed at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in Socorro, New Mexico. "It is incredibly beautiful," says Karen. "We always liked to photograph nature and wildlife at parks and other places, but from that time on, our subject was the National Wildlife Refuge System. "

They subsequently devoted their photography business to the National Wildlife Refuge System, the world's most outstanding network of lands dedicated to wildlife, where they are known with affection throughout the System for their beautiful photographs of wildlife, wildlands, and the people who have dedicated their careers to the management and protection of these natural resources. The Refuge System is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within the Department of Interior.

A native of Philadelphia, John Hollingsworth set out to drive to Alaska in the late 1960s but winter stranded him in Colorado. He made his home there until his death in 1995. Karen has continued Worm Press, the photography and publishing business that they pursued full-time after leaving careers in 1988 as an engineer and travel agency manager.

Karen currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Refuge Association; the only national conservation association devoted exclusively to the National Wildlife Refuge System. She is a founding board member of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), a national organization dedicated to nature and environmental photography, and is currently on the founding board of the Infinity Foundation whose mission focuses on teaching the next generation an awareness of and appreciation for nature through photography.

Each year Karen publishes the National Wildlife Refuges Calendar, which along with her book, Seasons of the Wild - A Journey Through Our National Wildlife Refuges and poster "The Refuge Experience," are available through the National Wildlife Refuge Association (1-877-396-NWRA). The proceeds help sustain the association's work nationwide protecting and perpetuating the Refuge System.

She has two new books, a coffee table book and a guidebook, which will be available at a public book signing on the evening of April 10th.

Smithsonian Book of National Wildlife Refuges includes brilliant illustrations and fluid text that explore the intriguing history, diverse wildlife, and stunning landscapes of America's refuges. Linking his text with the stunning photographs of John and Karen Hollingsworth, Eric Dolin draws on the rich history surrounding the refuges to reveal an interconnected story of people and nature.

America's National Wildlife Refuges: A Complete Guide was published for the 100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System in 2003. This guide describes each of the more than 530 refuges nationwide, their habitats, the species of birds and mammals to be found there, and general information about accessibility and facilities. . . the most up-to-date, all-in-one guide to the National Wildlife Refuges.

The Hollingsworth exhibit consists of thirty-four photographs from the National Wildlife Refuge System:

OVERSIZE: 26"x363"
Horizontal - White Pelicans Tule Lake NWR, California
Vertical - Beaver Activity Rice Lake NWR, Minnesota

ODD-SIZED HORIZONTAL: 20"x26"
Trumpeter Swan Red Rock Lakes NWR, Montana

VERTICAL: 22"x191"
Red Fox Pups Agassiz NWR, Minnesota
Sunrays Ash Meadows NWR, Nevada
Sandhill Crane Pair Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico
Monarch Butterflies Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, New Jersey
Florida Panther Florida Panther NWR, Florida
Brown Bear & Salmon Kodiak NWR, Alaska
Short-eared Owl Lacreek NWR, South Dakota
Young Bull Moose Lake Umbagog NWR, New Hampshire (pulled temporarily)
Sharp-tailed Sparrow Lostwood NWR, North Dakota
Snowy Plover Nest Salt Plains NWR, Oklahoma
Painted Turtles Seney NWR, Michigan

LARGE HORIZONTAL: 22"x26"
Sage Grouse Arapaho NWR, Colorado
Fulvous Whistling-Ducks Blackwater NWR, Maryland
Canada Geese Cypress Creek NWR, Illinois
Snow Geese DeSoto NWR, Iowa
Young Wood Storks Harris Neck NWR, Georgia
Brown Pelican J.N. "Ding Darling" NWR, Florida
Red-footed Boobies Kilauea Point NWR, Kauai, Hawaii
Desert Bighorn Sheep Kofa NWR, Arizona
Gray Seals Monomoy NWR, Massachusetts
Broad-winged Hawk Noxubee NWR, Mississippi
American Alligator Okefenokee NWR, Georgia
Damselfly & Sundew Petit Manan NWR, Maine
Rough-winged Swallows Protection Island NWR, Washington
Whitehall Deer Quivira NWR, Kansas

SMALL HORIZONTAL: 191"x22"
American Coots Kern NWR, California
Great Horned Owl Lacassine NWR, Louisiana
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks Laguna Atascosa NWR, Texas
American Bison National Bison Range, Montana
Yaqui Chub San Bernardino NWR, Arizona
Horned Puffin Alaska Maritime Refuge, Alaska

In addition, the exhibit includes individual capsulations describing each image and the refuge where it was taken, a map of the National Wildlife Refuge System, introduction signage, and a 26-minute multimedia show that Karen will present about the National Wildlife Refuge System and the Centennial Celebration.

The National Wildlife Refuge Photo Exhibit opens to the public on Friday, April 11, 2003, and will be on display through Friday, June 27, 2003.