Recently I spent the most remarkable two weeks with several fellow photographers in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Ranging everywhere on land and in river were the huge coastal brown bears and all the waterways were chock full of spawning sockeye salmon. As a result of last year’s mild winter, there were many sows and cubs feasting on the protein-rich and oily fish.
I am scheduling another trip July 24-29, 2016. Get on the notification list now!
Now in its second year, this INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION puts the spotlight on talented photographers from all over the world, celebrating the rural and urban landscape of the U.S.A. and is the brainchild of renowned landscape photographer, Charlie Waite.
Prize fund of US$12,000 of cash and other prizes, including US$5,000 to the overall winner, US$500 to the Youth (under 21) winner and awards in cash and kind to category and special prize winners.
Entries are open to photographers from anywhere in the world with images made in the USA within the last 5 years. Competition closes midnight on the 15th of August, 2015.
Sponsored by USA Today, Popular Photography, Lee Filters, Hasselblad, Panasonic, lightandland.com, and Digital Camera World.
In this revised edition, legendary wildlife photographer Art Wolfe turns to one of nature’s most fundamental survival techniques: the vanishing act. His portraits show animals and insects disappearing into their surroundings, using deceptions, disguises, lures, and decoys to confuse the eye of both predator and prey. Spotting each cryptic animal amid Wolfe’s clever compositions is both a fun and an informative challenge. At a time when many species are performing permanent vanishing acts due to habitat loss and human encroachment, this book showcases the beauty and evolutionary extremes of animal behavior and artfully illustrates the tenacious will to stay alive in an eat-or-be-eaten world.
Softcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Cameron + Company; Revised edition
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.5 inches
All these photos were taken in Junes over the last eleven years. June is the season of the summer solstice, bright with the longest days of the year. It is an excellent time to travel to the Arctic—or just about anywhere for that matter!
Illegal poaching and wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest transnational crime behind weapon, drug, and human trafficking, and funds other types of violence and criminal organizations across the globe. Passing I-1401 will help reduce that violence. In addition, many of the animals protected by I-1401 are killed for medicinal use despite no real evidence of the efficacy of these expensive treatments.
While New York and New Jersey have passed laws to protect elephants and rhinos, I-1401 will prohibit and strengthen the penalties for the sale, purchase and distribution of products made from a list of 10 endangered animals: elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, marine turtles, pangolins, sharks and rays. Despite widespread public opposition to these practices, powerful special interest groups continue to lobby state legislatures and Congress to oppose common sense laws that would protect iconic species slipping toward extinction.
I-1401 would ban the sale or purchase of products made from endangered and exploited animals, including elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, pangolins, marine turtles, sharks and rays. It will be the first statewide ballot measure to help protect iconic species on the verge of being slaughtered into extinction. Passing it will set a national, and perhaps even international, precedent.
But first, at least 325,000 signatures must be collected by July to make the November ballot, in addition to building a robust, statewide campaign.
There are five more days to enter your photos to the Por El Planeta Photo Competition, with a grand prize of $100,000 to be put toward a conservation photo project.
Por el Planeta is not just a photography contest, it’s a movement seeking to transform our relationship with the planet and its wildlife. The competition was born out of a desire to reaffirm narrative photography as a powerful tool that encourages nature conservation and generates an appreciation for biodiversity.
“We believe photography is more than just light, beautiful pictures or perfect proportions,” said award-winning photographer Cristina Mittermeier, director of Por el Planeta. “It is also a vehicle for real change.”
Por el Planeta will award more resources than any other photography contest to recognize the dedication, skill and talent of photographers who strive to create images that infuse society with an understanding of and care for our shared natural heritage. At the same time, Por el Planeta wishes to encourage the development of new photography and conservation projects, mobilize audiences and raise awareness of the daily threats faced by our biodiversity.
• Por el Planeta is a Wildlife, Nature and Conservation Photo Competition organized by Televisa, the Mexican government and National Geographic as a mission partner.
• Por el Planeta will allocate over $300,000 US in prize money for the winners.
• All profits will be donated to conservation initiatives.
• Submissions close date: March 27, 2015
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.
VANISHING ACT
