I am back in Antarctica–well, nearly, as the weather has been preventing us from flying to the icy continent and we are waiting in Punta Arenas for a break. I thought I would share some of the highlights from the newsletter sent out last week, including our hopeful rendition of the 12th Man flag flying atop the space needle. Our team may not have won the game, but the cities support will not recede!
I hope you have had a chance to check out the streamlined events page (formerly workshops) which covers everything from presentations to safaris. I particularly like the map view of all the events I have scheduled. Take a look and join me on a trip or take a seminar! Did you notice the addition of an Exclusive Svalbard Tour this summer?
For those of you in Florida I have a couple terrific events coming up at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Fine Art: an Earth Is My Witness presentation and an Art of Composition seminar. There is a $40 discount for MOAFL members.
My friend and colleague Cristina Mittermeier is looking for photographers, people who are passionate about nature and photography, to participate in the Por el Planeta photo competition. It doesn’t matter what age you are, what matters is your willingness to give your best for conservation. Sponsored by National Geographic, Televisa, and the Secretaria de Turismo of Mexico, Por el Planeta will allocate over $300,000 in prize money for the winners & all profits will be donated to conservation initiatives. Submissions close March 27, 2015.
Near the end of Earth is My Witness are the photo notes for all the images in the book. I had several requests for a separate copy of them for easier reading while viewing the pages of the book. We are now offering a download of the photo notes, and by entering the coupon code 1.2015newsletter, at no extra cost!
On to new discoveries and new destinations in 2015! Best of light to all of you.
Can one person really make a difference? Rachel Carson did – she wrote the book Silent Spring just over 50 years ago in 1962 which woke up the American public to the fact that we were killing off our wildlife at an alarming rate – with many on the brink of extinction. Despite the claims and disinformation of the chemicals companies she laid out the scientific proof that DDT was responsible for the decline in birds of prey. Her book and public awareness ultimately lead to the Endangered Species Act signed into law in 1973.
Each of the animals in this album would have been extinct by today had it not been for the Endangered Species Act turning their fate around.
American Alligator – nearly gone by the 1960s for their skins to produce purses and shoes, protected in 1967, they were removed from the list just 20 years later after a hearty come back.
Whooping Cranes – hunted for their feathers for fashion there were only 16 birds left in 1941. In 1967 under the act’s protection the few remaining birds were rounded up for captive breeding and today several hundred exist in the wild.
Bald Eagle – By 1963 there were just 417 breeding pairs in the lower 48 due to DDT, today there are over 10,000 and you no longer have to go to a zoo to see our nations symbol. Likewise Peregrine Falcons are doing well with many taking to the skyscrapers of large cities to raise the next generation while preying on pigeons.
Grizzly Bear – by the 1970s there were around 140 bears, mostly in Yellowstone National Park, when they were put under protection in 1973 – today there are some 1200-1400 in the lower 48 (still far from their original estimated 50,000 at the time of Lewis and Clark).
Grey Wolf – virtually extinct by the 1930s due to hunting, protected and reintroduced into Yellowstone in the 1970s there are an estimated 5,000 wolves in the lower 48 today.
Californian Condor – In 1987 the last 22 Condors were captured in the wild for captive breeding and today around 200 live in the wild. Alive, but still one of the rarest birds on the planet.
Efforts to conserve parks and protected areas around the world are being aided by Earth observations from space-based sensors operated by NASA and other space agencies as well as commercial providers. Sanctuary highlights how the view from space is being used to protect some of the world’s most interesting, changing, and threatened places.
“Sanctuary: Exploring the World’s Protected Areas from Space,” published by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (Arlington, Virginia) with support from NASA, debuted at the 2014 World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia. The once-a-decade meeting is sponsored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s largest global environmental organization founded in 1948.
Opening today on the 2nd Floor the National Museum of Natural History Presents the Annual Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Exhibition.
Within a 4,000 square foot exhibition hall, 60 large-format prints are displayed—some at nearly life-sized proportions—with two accompanying HD videos. Museum visitors are taken along on a virtual global safari and are introduced to the image-makers and their stories from behind the camera lens.
Art is featured as the Photographer of the Year in recognition of his extraordinary body of
work over the past 40 years and the contributions he has made to natural history awareness. “Photographers everywhere are making a difference in the way we see the world and our place in it,” says Wolfe. “Never stop looking: no matter where you are,
there are good photographs to be made.”
Art will be doing a book signing of Earth Is My Witness on November 13, as well as attending the awards presentations that night.
On September 3, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act. This historic bill established the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) and set aside an initial 9.1 million acres of wildlands for the use and benefit of the American people. Over the past 50 years, and as a result of America’s support for wilderness, Congress has added over 100 million acres to this unique land preservation system. The 1964 Wilderness Act defines “Wilderness” as areas where the earth and its communities of life are left unchanged by people, where the primary forces of nature are in control, and where people themselves are visitors who do not remain.
David Slater is currently embroiled in an argument with Wikimedia over the now famous ‘monkey selfie’ images.
Like other conservation photographers at the iLCP, I support David Slater’s copyright to the now famous ‘selfies’ of the critically endangered crested black macaque.
Look what I discovered in one of my trees when I was pruning with my friend!
If you create a natural habitat you soon get wild animals to share the space with. I unfortunately left for a trip right after discovering these cute little guys and figured they would fly the nest before my return. I sent requests to several of my friends to go photograph them while I was away. My assistant Libby Pfeiffer made it up there over the weekend and got some nice shots. She reported the mother was vary concerned about her presence, and would only land on the opposite side from her camera. You can see how much they grew in a few short days! Also, I want to mention to those near Seattle, if you want to check out my garden, it will be part of the West Seattle Garden Tour on July 20th. I will be there to greet visitors and sign books.
Rufous hummingbird chicks in nest, Seattle, Washington by Libby PfeifferRufous hummingbird chicks in nest, Seattle, Washington by Libby Pfeiffer
National Wildlife Week 2014 is March 17th-23rd and will celebrate wildlife and water. Water is a life source for all living creatures (whether human, animal or plant) and we all depend on having clean waterways.
If you create a natural habitat you soon get wild animals to share the space with. I unfortunately left for a trip right after discovering these cute little guys and figured they would fly the nest before my return. I sent requests to several of my friends to go photograph them while I was away. My assistant Libby Pfeiffer made it up there over the weekend and got some nice shots. She reported the mother was vary concerned about her presence, and would only land on the opposite side from her camera. You can see how much they grew in a few short days! Also, I want to mention to those near Seattle, if you want to check out my garden, it will be part of the 
