Since at least 1991, Big Bend Natural History Association has sponsored a park calendar. Initially, we relied on commercial publishers to select professional photos and arrange printing. But by about 2010, members and visitors who were pretty good photographers in their own right raised the stakes on what constitutes a calendar-worthy photo of Big Bend. Great quality wasn’t enough; they demanded behind-the-scenes vistas they couldn’t shoot on their own. BBNHA formed a new partnership with Vast Graphics in Alpine for a local twist on design and Friesens Publishing for top-quality, eco-friendly printing, and established a committee of park personnel to choose photos that are not simply “good,” but also unusual, so that each calendar is an insider view.
Work on the calendar usually begins two years in advance. Count back 24 months from January 2023, and you’ll find us in a pandemic with much of the park shut down. The 2023 calendar nearly became a casualty of COVID-19 until we realized that our first “insider” calendar was for 2011. Twelve years, 12 calendar covers, 12 months in a year … the math was easy! We hope you’ll enjoy this best-of-the-best retrospective, with a peek forward at what’s coming in 2024.
11.75" x 11.75" 2022
