The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided to proclaim March 3, the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as World Wildlife Day, to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora.
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In their latest issue for September/October, Indian nature photography magazine Saevus continues their interview with me.
Mendocino, California native Justin Lewis was nurtured in the raw and rustic Pacific Northwest, where he honed a keen eye for capturing images that instill wonder and inspire action. Having traveled to over forty five countries and featured in many major global magazines, Justin has woven his photography career seamlessly into his lifestyle of exploration and conservation. As an artist, Justin finds inspiration in beauty, and finds beauty in nature.
Justin has spent the last two years dedicating his life to an eight phase photo-documentary project called 70 Degrees West. The project follows a single line of longitude from Greenland to Antarctica, illustrating the impact our modern civilization has on fragile eco-regions and cultures who dwell there. His photography hopes to expand global awareness of environments at risk by capturing the extreme landscape while also giving a voice to the battles each region faces both environmentally and socially. For more information, including slide shows and two video shorts, visit www.70degreeswest.com For more of Justin Lewis’s photography, visit www.justinlewis.com
Here are a few images from Phase I – Greenland: Thule Hunter
It is said that Greenland’s Inuit name, Kalaallit Nunaat, means “The Land of Man.” To the Greenlandic natives, it is home, where the dark days and sunlit nights demand the human spirit to endure at all costs. Here, a sled driver and dog team rest for a moment under the arch of a looming translucent blue iceberg frozen in the sea ice.
The life of a dog sled driver is one of patience and discipline. Nine Greenlandic Arctic dogs rest during a long trek across the ice. Greenlandic Arctic sled dogs are only exist north of the Arctic Circle and found no where else in the world.
The magic of Northern Greenland’s midnight sun is filled with stunning beauty and extreme isolation. This image was taken at 3 o’clock in the morning where a tidal pond formed on the surface of the sea ice. Salt water was forced up through cracks in the sea ice as the oceans tide came up.
Spring time comes to Ilulissat, Greenland and the fisherman begin to venture out into the recently broken chunks of looming sea ice. Eager to get out fishing, some fisherman launch their boats into the Arctic waters, delicately navigating through chunks and sheets of ice.
Thomas Martika Qujaukitsoq was born in Qaanaaq, Greenland, one of the northern most municipalities in the world. He wears a reindeer jacket his grandmother hand-stitched for him when he was a young man. Although he has hunted extensively through the surrounding landscape, he has never traveled to any other part of the world. His home is Qaanaaq, his life is that of hunting, fishing, and driving his dog sled. He says, “I drive my dog sled because it is my culture and my life. It will always be like that.”
During the warmer months, massive icebergs calve from the glacier head and slowly drift through vast fjords. Certain icebergs can float for many years, very slowly melting and breaking into smaller chunks of ice.
I had the chance to take a chilly dive under the sea ice during our photo expedition in Ilulissat, Greenland. Dressed in a dry suit and specialized arctic gear, it was ethereal and thrilling. Having a ceiling of ice above me and no sight of a sea floor, it felt other-worldly.
All images ©Justin Lewis
Jim Whittaker is all about this place. Growing up in Seattle gave me the good fortune to be in the same neighborhood as the Whittaker family and I delivered newspapers to their home. Jim was an early model for me when I began discovering the majesty of the mountains and landscape of the Northwest. To watch him go on to Mt. Everest was a huge inspiration and stuck with me. I was eventually given an opportunity to travel to the Himalayas, which changed my life. Congratulations on 50 years! Thank you, Jim!
>>Jim Whittaker (Seattle Times)
Mountaineers is hosting two events for legendary climbers Jim Whittaker & Tom Horbein. Both men were huge inspirations for me. These events raise vital funds for Mountaineers conservation and stewardship programs. I am donating a place in my upcoming Seattle Art of Composition workshop and a copy of my book “THE HIGH HIMALAYA”” for their auction.
This event is sold out: http://www.mountaineers.org/everest50/default.cfm
But tickets for the presentation and book launch on May 22 with Tom Hornbein and author Jon Krakauer are still available: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5431034370#
Last weekend I was given the Lifetime achievement award by the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA). These are people that believe in the things I hold dear and we recognize that preserving the beauty of nature is a labor of love.
Countless thank yous to the members for their support and for recognizing my work. It was a great honor and a lot of fun.
>>CLICK HERE for a great post by colleague Daniel J. Cox about all the weekend’s events. Thanks, Dan!
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India 1/2013 #1 – Images by Art Wolfe
There is nothing like setting out to see Indian wildlife from elephant back on a chilly morning.
Here I am in Bandhavgarh National Park again. It is such an honor to be among these big cats in the wild. To travel on the backs of elephants into the bush is to travel back in time. Coming upon a tiger is like nothing else and each time it is still immensely exciting.
I love India and will be posting images throughout my travels, so stay tuned.
Here is a previous post with photos of tigers from a visit to Ranthambore National Park. >>CLICK HERE
Dear Friend of iLCP,
If you’ve ever read a conservation article or seen a presentation with vivid and compelling photographs, and found yourself wanting to do something to protect that place and its people, then you know the power and influence of high-quality imagery. This is the International League of Conservation Photographers’ niche, and our strength. It’s a conservation niche we hope you will want to support…..
>>READ THE COMPLETE APPEAL LETTER
As the year comes to a close and you are looking ahead to what kind of GOOD you can support this year, iLCP is a quality organization that does important work. The stories they cover and show are important to the planet.
>>MORE INFO & RSVP HERE to volunteer
An annual tradition, the Greenway Trust is hosting a series of native tree and shrub plantings starting with the October 13th Kick-Off. Sponsored in part by REI, Carter Subaru & Carter Volkswagen, and KMTT- The Mountain the celebration will feature food (including free pizza from Papa John’s), music and vendors for the whole family to enjoy, plus plenty of trees to plant.
Planting events are excellent for individuals, families, groups, and work teams. No experience is required. The Kick-Off will be at Sammamish Cove in Issaquah. Sammamish Cove is a former dairy farm adjacent to Lake Sammamish State Park. It borders Tibbetts Creek, a salmon-bearing stream, to the Northeast. Boasting sweeping views of the Issaquah Alps, the area has been extremely degraded over time by invasive weeds. During the Kick-Off, we will be planting 2,012 native trees and shrubs along the banks of Tibbetts Creek to increase vital tree cover and improve salmon and wildlife habitat.
Monday, October 15, 2012
7 pm, The Neptune Theatre
Tickets: $5 at the door; $4 online at stgpresents.org
(additional fees apply)
www.burkemuseum.org/short_takes
Join the Burke Museum at the Neptune Theatre for an evening of fast-paced talks on the enduring relationship between the human imagination and the natural world. Inspired by the International Conservation Photography Awards exhibit, Short Takes features a stellar lineup of artists, scientists, students, and scholars. Speakers include internationally-renowned photographer Art Wolfe, curators from the Burke and the Seattle Art Museum, and explorers of the seas and the stars. Ten short talks, each illustrated with 20 slides, will take us on a journey from humanities’ first artistic impulses to our latest glimpse into the far reaches of space.
>>CLICK HERE for Short Takes topics and more information.
Short Takes is produced in conjunction with Seattle Theatre Group with support from the Boeing Employees Credit Union.
Speakers Include:
• Art Wolfe, internationally renowned photographer, host of “Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe”, and founder of the International Conservation Photography Awards
• Katie Bunn-Marcuse, Assistant Director of the Bill Holm Center, and a Curatorial Associate of Native American Art at the Burke Museum
• Allison Fundis, Education and Public Engagement Liaison, Ocean Observatories Initiative/Regional Scale Nodes, University of Washington
• Shaun Peterson, a pivotal figure in the revival of Coast Salish arts
• Ellen Dissanayake interdisciplinary scholar and writer, Affiliate Professor in the University of Washington, School of Music
• Wendy Call, 2012 Writer in Residence for the North Cascades and Joshua Tree National Parks
• Dan Ritzman, Northwest and Alaska Regional Director of the Sierra Club
• Brad Rutherford, Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Trust
• Phil Rosenfield, Graduate Student, Astronomy, University of Washington
• Patricia Junker, the Ann M. Barwick Curator of American Art at the Seattle Art Museum
