2020 ONPA Pictures of the Year

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Story Description: Maryland's watermen have faced environmental and economic challenges for well over 100 years and have proven their ability to adapt. Yet, 2020 has tested watermen communities in unprecedented ways. The coronavirus has forced economic strain on a delicately balanced industry of supply and demand and highlighted the challenges watermen have long faced for generations trying to preserve their culture. Some claim that the last watermen are working the Chesapeake Bay at this moment, as their average age skews older and older. The future for Maryland watermen is uncertain, yet the faith and commitment of those who rise to work the Chesapeake Bay persists.

The house of Nick Hargrove, a partner at Wild Divers Seafood, lies behind a pile of oyster shells in Wittman Wharf, Md. The shells are recycled as fresh bottom for baby oysters to attach to and grow from in the aquaculture process, a growing industry in the Chesapeake region. At its peak in the late 1800s, roughly 20 million bushels were pulled from the Bay each year, but over-harvesting, disease and habitat loss have reduced the oyster population to less than 1% of historic levels.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Latino workers under the H-2B visa program have their temperature checked before picking crab at Russel Hall Seafood Co, Inc on Fishing Creek, Md. COVID-19 has forced seafood businesses to adapt to new social distancing and health protocols, creating a struggle with maintaining safety for their workers and sustaining local seafood economies.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Hector Rene Modueño, left, and Edgar Riber transfer menhaden from a pound net into Captain Boo Polly’s boat near the shore of St. Mary’s County, Md. The process of transferring fish onto the boat is physically intensive, leaving the crew wading waist deep in menhaden on the ride to the processing plant. Menhaden are considered one of the most important fisheries in the Chesapeake despite not being harvested for human consumption. Instead they are used in products like fish oil supplements, cosmetics, and bait for other fisheries. Polly said the price of menhaden is down this season, which he attributes to the economic constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Mark Kitching looks out at the sunrise while crabbing at dawn around the waters of Smith Island, Md. Kitching relies on years of first-hand observation and local knowledge to weather the unpredictability of good and bad fishing years. “It’s an industry where one year you feel like you are on top of the world and another you could not be,” Kitching said. COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for watermen already working in a diminishing economy; yet, according to Kitching, “faith has always been something for us to make a living out of, and it hasn’t let us down.”

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

A crab scrape harvests blue crabs near Smith Island. Bay grasses are the foundation of the Chesapeake ecosystem, and has they continue to rebound due to pollution reductions, it means more habitat for blue crabs and other wildlife. The scrape consists of a net that is dragged across the underwater grasses in a way that doesn’t damage the sea bottom.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Latino visa workers pick crabs at Russell Hall Seafood in Fishing Creek, Md. Russell Hall is one of only two out of the five picking houses on Hoopers Island that were awarded visas for workers this year. Mark Phillips, son of Russel Hall owner Harry Phillips, says “it doesn’t just hurt his business, but the whole community,” as watermen have fewer places to offload their catch. “We’ve had job fairs everywhere, Baltimore to Washington, people just aren’t going to do it,” Phillips said. “If I had to run this business and rely on Americans, I’d sell it today.”

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Arby Holland smokes a cigarette on the patio with Sharlene Thornton, while his wife Debbie peaks outside to check on customers at Arby’s Dockside Grill on Deal Island, Md. Like many fishing towns, Arby’s is the only location on Deal Island where locals can get food and supplies. Since the pandemic began, shelves of tackle remain empty, but the store also functions as a bar and grill that has been doing well because it is the “only place to sell” crabs, Holland said.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Jozie Wilson works the storefront at Wittman Wharf Seafood in Wittman. The company opened a storefront at its shucking house location in response to Covid-19, as restaurant closures hurt their business profits. The move was a success, as news of the store spread to the local community and calls started coming from states as far away as New York according to Marc Van Pelt, a partner in the business.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Clyde “Butch” Walters and his wife MaeBelle sit for a portrait in their crab shanty in Chance, Md. Family photos and their children’s drawings hang above them. Since COVID-19, their business has been at the mercy of a market where “No one’s buying, Butch said. The couple have sold blue crabs together for 38 years, but between their three children, “none of them want to take over the business,” Butch said. “We will probably have to sell.”

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

The graveyard of Holland Island Methodist Church is one of the last visible remains of the community that once inhabited the island. Holland Island has been sinking into the Chesapeake as the landmass is eroded away by heavy winds, seas, and storms.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Kevin and Lou Czarniewy enjoy a sunset on the beach away from the confined lifestyle of Washington during the pandemic at the Deal Island Marina on Deal Island, Md. For 12 years they have owned a second home in Deal Island, where they enjoy the area’s natural beauty. An influx of “summer home” owners has become more common in historic watermen communities. Behind them lies a pile of oyster shells used for bottom in oyster aquaculture. Shell piles were once seen all over the Chesapeake, reminiscent of a booming industry and an immense oyster population that is now less than 1% of historic levels.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Description: Murray City is a historic coal village nestled within the rolling hills of the Hocking Valley in Southeast Ohio, on the eastern portion of Ward Township. At its peak, the village was home to over 2,000 people who worked the mines and local businesses. Today, with a population of around 450, the village exists only as a shell of the prosperous mining town it once was. Nonetheless, the village pushes forward as a thriving community of value-driven citizens.

Caption: Murray City rests in between the rolling landscape of the Hocking Hills. St. Philip Neri’s Catholic church, founded in 1903, is one of the first buildings seen descending from the Murray City Hill (back).

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Wendy Mitchel and Tom “Long Hair” Mitchell, examine documents needed to be notarized. The Mitchell’s keep a gun on their coffee table for protection from anyone breaking through the front door. The Mitchel family is one of the oldest and largest in Murray City. Tom jokes that he had to leave Murray to find his wife, “just to be safe.”

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Brent "Chip" Marohl burns leftover scrap wood in his front yard, a common practice to dispose of rubbish in the area. Marohl works remotely from the mini trailer in front of his house, a solution to the lack of business opportunities in the area. He is one of the voices in Murray who wish to see the village make a push towards modern economic practices, saying that even The Eagles is still a cash only business.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

James Birthisel, co-owner of Smoke Rise Ranch, watches over a cattle wrangling event he is hosting. Smoke Rise, located above the Murray City Hill, creates a crossroads of community where Western cowboy culture has embedded within the heart of Appalachian lifestyle. The two communities grew up together in a symbiotic nature, taking care of one another, but remain mutually exclusive in identity.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Mayor Michael Dupler looks over documents with (left to right) Charma Berwanger, Wendy Mitchel, and Jessica Saunders regarding water usage within the village. Council meetings are where Murray’s established government decides on local laws and manages community grant projects such as the current sewer construction, which would prevent waste being directly dumped into the Snow Fork creek running through the village.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Across Murray City, Ohio, Dale Spencer’s roosters can be heard crowing all day into the evening. His chicken coup yields more surprises with turkeys that also make it their home. Because Murray City does not have a general store, the village must adapt by either producing their own goods or traveling outside to procure necessities. Spencer sells his eggs to the locals, a way to help his community along.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

St. Philip Neri’s Catholic church stands empty with its pews removed and no sermon to be heard. The church is currently going through renovations due to new benefactors who intend to use the historic building as rental space for events. There are no plans for any future religious services.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

The American Legion hosts Queen of Hearts, a ticketed gambling game, every Wednesday, bringing in locals and people from out of town to participate in the event. Although the pots can reach in the tens of thousands, the money does not necessarily make it into the pockets of Murray City residents. The bar is also the only place to eat in Murray City, taking the role of an interim carryout.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Mike Cook waits for his daughter, Taylor, to get ready for Tori’s (right) basketball game at Nelsonville-York down the road. His wife, Emily, is a teacher at the school. During weekends the Cooks go grocery shopping out of town, and take their two daughters to visit their grandparents who also live in Murray, one of the reasons the family loves living in the village.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Craig Nungester spots the bench at The Power Shack, a gym he runs out of his garage in Murray City. The gym is open to anyone who needs a place to work out or relieve stress as long as they are clean and drug free. The Power Shack is known for its steroid free routine and has produced championship lifters.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

The back streets of Murray City fall silent into the night as Emmalee Rutter practices her gymnastics in the middle of Hack Street. After school, kids ride their bikes, motorcycles and play at the park just doors down from their homes.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Master carver Capt. Bill Collins works on a miniature carving in his workshop in Cernetville Mound, Md. on October 16, 2020. Collins apprenticed under Madison Mitchell who defined the Havre de Grace style of decoy.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Steam evaporates off a horse after working up a sweat during a cattle sorting at Smoke Rise Ranch in Glouster, Ohio, on February 8, 2020. Smoke Rise hosts riders from all over the United States who journey to the ranch to participate in various riding events.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

People march through the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd on May 30th, 2020, heading towards the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, where speeches against racial injustice in the American police force were held.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Bradford Buchana along with his girlfriend Shemiah Bobbitt and two cousins, (left) Dior Torris, 5, and Karter Sims, 4, look for turtles and koi fish on the boardwalk at the Friends of Patterson Park in Baltimore Md. on June 10, 2020. Buchana loves the park because “a lot of people in urban communities get to see nature.” After converting to veganism six years ago, he emphasizes the importance of the relationship between humans and the environment, especially in green spaces like the park. “The beauty of mother nature, animals, [it’s] almost like the zoo is in the grasp of your hands… they’re (animals) our neighbors. All the creatures play a big part in the ecosystem,” says Buchana.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Carlin Stiehl / Ohio University

Travis Andrews casts, Washington D.C., out on Hoopers Island, Md. hoping to catch rockfish and trout on June 6, 2020. Tourists on hoopers Island.