Belly Crawling for Conservation

By Clay Bolt

A few years ago I became fixated on one simple, elegant statement in Piotr Naskrecki’s landmark book, The Smaller Majority. Simply put, the author writes that 99% of life on planet earth is smaller than a human finger with most being smaller than a fingernail. This immediately sent my head spinning. I looked out onto my backyard and began to wonder what might be out there to discover, photograph and share with the world. It didn’t take me long to realize that even in an area with a temperate climate such as where I live, this statement inevitably holds true. As a macro photographer, my obsession with insects, plants and other small creatures suddenly found a renewed sense of purpose.

Considering humankind’s obsession with discovery, it surprises me that more photographers aren’t as obsessed with macro photography as I am. What other discipline of nature photography offers so much in terms of an opportunity to make fresh new imagery, which may in fact, also represent behaviors and species completely new to science? Going a step further, these images can also make a tremendous contribution to conservation due to the well-documented fact that invertebrates and other small creatures are tremendously important to the well-being of every eco-system in the world.

The July-August 2010 issue of Audubon Magazine contained a fascinating article on the All Taxa Biological Inventory (ATBI) project currently being conducted in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Due to the variety of species being found and its inherit biological richness, the article compares the GSMNP to the tropics. Kevin FitzPatrick, a photographer and iLCP member who has spent the last several years working for the ATBI recently shared with me that researchers believe that they have discovered an estimated 1,000 new species in the park over the past 10 years. What else is out there waiting to be discovered is anybody’s guess but most believe that this is only the tip of the iceberg.

I’ll leave you with this: What if every major nature photography “star” decided to focus their cameras on their own backyards over the span of a year? Can you imagine the incredible new insights and imagery of our natural world which would result from such an experiment? All of us who have a passion for nature and photography should be out getting our knees and elbows dirty from time-to-time. There is so much to see with such little investment if we can only slow down, and change our perspective. It will change the way that you see the world.


Clay Bolt is an award-winning natural history and conservation photographer whose work has been featured by The Nature Conservancy, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, The Telegraph UK, Outdoor Photography (UK), Garden & Gun, Partnership for the Blue Ridge and Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine. In 2009 his work was highly commended in the CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year awards in London. Clay was a major photographic contributor to the book Conserve A Legacy: Natural Lands & Waters in South Carolina (2010) and is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Although Clay Bolt has photographed nature around the world, his passion and focus continues to be educating the public about the importance of protecting and cherishing the wild places, plants and animals of the Southeastern, United States.

Mike Forsberg - Great Plains

This is a splendid book, both visually and informationally. You will come away from it with a renewed appreciation for the Great Plains and the treasures that abound there.

Conservation, Chennai Style

By Shyamala Rao
A friend said “You know, we could take a Turtle Walk”. I stopped dead in my tracks. Had I inadvertently timed my visit to Chennai to coincide with the Olive Ridley Conservation season? The walks began at Velangeri beach around midnight and ended at Besant Nagar.

On Friday, excited and a little scared, we headed out to Besant Nagar and parked. Neither of us had any idea as to how safe it was for two gals to be at the beach around midnight. Oh well, if we were risking life and limb, it was in search of adventure and experience.
We hailed one of those noisy, polluting three wheelers, the ubiquitous phut-phuts and the driver balked at going all the way to Velangeri. He took us halfway and handed us to another phut-phut driver and off we roared towards Velangeri. We flagged a pedestrian as we approached the beach and inquired if he knew where the Turtle Walk started. “Sure”, he replied, “I am one of the Scouts”. We made room for him in our vehicle and took off once more.

At Velangeri beach there were at least 50 people gathered for the turtle walk. They were chatting amiably and looking relaxed. We were introduced to Anil, Akila and Aadit. They were absolutely charming and happy to impart information. Anil was the leader of the Turtle Walk that evening. He belonged to the Students Sea Turtle Conservation Council. Akila worked for the World Wildlife Fund and was one of the scouts. Aadit and a host of others were also scouts.

We sat down in a circle, moonlight bathing us in a silvery glow with a cool breeze wafting in from the bay. Anil educated the newcomers on Olive Ridley Sea Turtles and on the ground rules for the walk. The Olive Ridley which is the smallest of the Sea Turtles grows to 2 to 2 ½ feet in length. The turtles weigh 80 to 100 pounds when full grown. They live 60 to 80 years. Their nesting season is between January and April. At high tide, the female turtles come to the shore, form a nest in the sand, deposit 50 to 100 eggs, cover the nest up and slide back to the water and go away forever. The eggs hatch in 45 to 60 days. The hatchlings are small, fragile and vulnerable and do not yet have a sense of smell. They follow the light and try to get to the water and swim away.

Anil told us that for this conservation program in Chennai the 30 kilometer stretch of beach has been divided into 7 kilometer segments and scouts patrol their segment every night from January to April. The eggs are harvested from their nests and relocated eggs to a hatchery. When the hatchlings emerge they are hand carried to the water.

With the talk over and the ground rules for that evening’s turtle walk delineated we set off on our walk, dutifully staying several feet behind the scouts. It was past midnight. High tide was receding. Less than 15 minutes into the walk, Aadit found tracks of a turtle. I peered around and saw nothing. No tracks. No nest. No one else could see anything either. Then Aadit pointed to the marks on the sand showing the path taken by the female turtle heading back to the ocean after having made her nest and deposited the eggs. Once the tracks were identified it was easier to tell the path this female sea turtle had taken. Aadit directed us to the nest and we watched him scoop out 58 eggs. They were delicate, fragile, cream coloured and spongy to touch. The eggs, Anil reminded us had to be placed in the hatchery within 3 ½ hours of being laid. After that they formed their hard shells and cannot be handled any further.

We resumed the walk and kept at it till 5 a.m. We saw 2 more nests with 70 and 120 eggs each. Thence to the hatchery. We watched as the scouts, cautiously and carefully, placed the eggs into nests fashioned by human hands. In 45 to 60 days there would be a new generation of hatchlings. Gentle human hands would be carrying the hatchlings to the water. God willing every one of them will survive.

The big picture in conservation of species can be crushingly depressing but these students have found the answer. They chose a species, defined a technique of intervention and worked like the dickens, year after year, for 21 years. “It will all add up and make a difference,” said Anil. “From your mouth to God’s ear”, I prayed silently.


Shyamala Rao is the first of what we hope to be many guest bloggers on Art for Conservation. She is a wildlife artist living and working in San Antonio, Texas where she is a practicing psychiatrist. Her interest in wildlife was stimulated by a visit to the Serengeti in 2007 and since then she has been putting her feelings about animals onto canvas. She has just begun writing about conservation issues and hopes that by writing and painting she can do her part in helping conserve the glorious diversity of species on this planet.

This post was excerpted from the full article which can be found on her
website: http://www.shyamalarao.com/
Her art can be purchased at www.artforconservation.org/artists/shyamalarao

If you would like to guest blog for AFC, sign up here:

Focus on the Big Picture

by Gregory Mayse
Photographer

The debate rages on… Right versus Left, Greenies versus Corporations, Tree-huggers versus Profiteers. Which data - or adjusted data - are we to believe? One thing is for certain - Earth needs our help.

I have heard my share of passionate discussions, both in the national media and in the workplace. I really do not care where each person reading this chooses to stand on the subject of Global Warming, Climate Change or whatever you choose to call it.

As a photographer, I choose to look at the BIG picture on most things in life, and the question raised by looking at the Big picture is simple - Are we doing things to improve our environment and to protect the creatures who share our little rock that rotates around the sun?

What should matter to all of us is that if we do not continuously make a focused effort to preserve what we have, it will be increasingly difficult for us to survive on Earth. I am not talking about the sudden end of the world according to the Mayan calendar in 2012. I am talking about the continual destruction of our natural resources that we MUST have in order to survive. Do not turn your back on Mother Earth. Her natural ReSources are our only Sources.

When all of the rainforests have been logged, when our water is no longer safe to drink, when we have taken away the habitat and culture of all indigenous people as well as wild animals around the globe, then we may look back and ask “What were we fighting about back then?”

Is this really a political discussion? NO. It is simple. Do you want your children, grandchildren and their descendents to be able to appreciate the things in their lives that we may take for granted? Do you want your great-great grandchildren to grow up and look back at our generation and ask, “What were they thinking?”

The native cultures that were here in what we now call America held strongly to the belief of respecting the sustainability of Mother Earth for seven future generations. What if we dare to take on that philosophy once again? Do you believe we can survive with the global environmental damage being done by some of the planet’s major corporations and governments?

So next time you see an photograph of a polar bear leaping between floating icebergs, or the surviving indigenous people standing in a clear-cut area of their rainforest, don’t just brush it off as another one of those “environmentalist global warming photos.” Instead, let it remind you that everything is interconnected, that the planet as a whole, is a living organism that needs all of its parts to function healthily – there is value in every creature – every habitat – every culture.

We humans hold the power either to make our planet better or worse for future generations. The responsibility was somehow handed to us over the other animals of this planet. I’m not sure if this was the right decision. All I ask is that all of us FOCUS on the BIG PICTURE. If we don’t work hard to preserve our planet now, who will…and when?

If You Ever want to Empty a Commercial Airliner REALLY Fast

Day 1. Wild 9. Merida, Mexico. Nov 6, 2009

So if you ever want to see a completely full airliner disgorge it's passengers in less than 10 minutes, just have the Captain announce in a rather urgent tone that El Presidente Felipe Calderon is arriving momentarily right behind us and that if we don't ALL debark post haste, we will be stuck in the plane - on the tarmac - until they have cleared all areas for his landing and made sure security precautions were properly in place for his safety and exit. A possible delay of up to an hour........

A thundering but fairly agile herd of water buffalo comes to mind - but with less courtesy and decorum. Needless to say, we got off in record time. And once we all knew we were safe and sound inside the airport, it became clear that many of us were here for Wild 9 - as was Presidente Calderon! How cool is that? The President of Mexico showing up for the opening of a conference on conservation and wilderness protection.

The first day of the conference was primarily devoted to setting the stage for the rest of the week, with a number of international dignitaries and conservation leaders articulating the global vision for wilderness protection and citing concrete examples and programs in action all around the globe. But really, the highlight for me was to see the buzz about town - it was exciting to see the painted jaguar statues starting at the airport and then all about town - an arts and culture project to support the Wilderness Congress. Also to be witness to the excitement of having the President arrive to take part in the opening ceremonies.

The evening of this first day was spent, predictably, in the hotel lounge with many of the attendees catching up on current projects, networking, discussing hot conservation issues and in general, just having a great time seeing lots of familiar faces from iLCP, NANPA and beyond.

Adios. Tomorrow is another day.

Linda Helm
VP

Anything But Green

I ran across a promo for a juried art show which asked applicants to interpret the theme “Anything But Green”- any way they wanted. I couldn’t help but think about the perceived oversaturation of the word “Green” today, and wondered if that was the impetus for the show theme.

Green fatigue is already a commonplace word in the English lexicon. Susan H. Greenberg wrote an essay about this in a June 30, 2008, Newsweek article by entitled “I’m SO Tired of Being Green”. In it, she interviewed Suzanne Shelton, CEO of the Shelton Group, a U.S. marketing firm that monitors America's environmental pulse.

Shelton Group's latest study, Energy Pulse 2007, revealed that between 2006 and 2007, Americans' enthusiasm for energy-efficient products and services fell across the board. "We are really seeing a backlash to the whole green thing," says Shelton. "We've tested environmental messaging for some clients lately, and we get a lot of eye rolls and deep sighs. We hear things like 'I'm so tired of the green label being slapped on everything,' 'I'm so tired of being guilted into being green'. Confusion creates inner shock, and when consumers are confused, they just do nothing."

OK, so what does that mean for those of us who are still trying to deliver a conservation - a green - message? It says that we have to use more effective tools to get our message across. And that’s where Fine Print Imaging’s green initiative - Art for Conservation - comes in. To successfully deliver a compelling message, one on which people will act, you have to appeal to their emotions.

We KNOW that images deliver a more impactful - more emotional - message than words alone. Fine Print Imaging is working with literally 100s of photographers and artists who are meticulously crafting their art so that it effectively communicates a conservation message. And while this may conjure up imagery of a river with floating debris or a pristine mountain top being scraped to mine for coal, it more often means images showing all of the beauty that our planet has to offer.

Fine Print Imaging and Art for Conservation partner together to provide discounted printing services to these artists. We also provide a beautiful online gallery of their art which helps them raise funds to continue creating art that helps preserve our delicate ecosystem. And we provide a strong social networking component that fosters communication between all of the parties involved in conservation of our natural resources.

One of our strongest partnerships is with the International League of Conservation Photographers. In conjunction with their book on climate change, "A Climate for Life", we created a 50 print exhibit highlighting the photography of the world's top conservation photographers. The gallery wrapped canvas giclee exhibit is touring North America and will eventually land in the offices of Conservation International in Arlington, Virginia.

Rather than screaming our message through a megaphone, we focus on telling the conservation story through imagery. And we tell the stories of our artists and photographers who make these conservation images. Instead of shoving green down people’s throats, we allow them to draw their own conclusions by viewing both beautiful and disturbing images. We KNOW that appealing to their emotions will make a stronger and longer lasting impression.

We would love to help you deliver your conservation message and support your conservation efforts by selling your images. Join us on Art for conservation - http://www.artforconservation.org - and become a member of the Fine Print Imaging family.

www.blogactionday.org

I've Got a Scooter

by Mark J. Lukes

OK, maybe this isn't earth-shattering - or even blog worthy - news. But it is to me. For my 60th birthday, my friends and family got together and bought me an Zapino Scooter - all electric! Sure, it's fun to ride. And yes. I feel pretty "green" tooling around town on my electric scooter. But we all know that there's more to it.

I read an article some time ago about changes in the definition of "being green". (I'd tell you where I read the article, but one of the problems of being 60 is that my mind does too good a job of filtering information). In the 80s, recycling aluminum, picking up your trash and turning down the thermostat made you green. In the 90s, you could add buying a more fuel efficient car, re-insulating your house and participating in Bike-to-Work day. In the 2000s, we saw a number of conservation issues get relegated to a back seat - or were kicked completely off the bus! We saw our country's leaders ignore the effects of climate change, neglect the needs of wild things and wild places and show a disregard for the welfare of third world cultures.

While all of this was happening, people who cared about our planet were mobilizing and redefining what being "green" meant. People all over the world began to "Get It"! No longer was it good enough to do the easy things that used to make us green. It takes effort, sacrifice - and it takes lots of people. That's certainly true with our efforts at Art for Conservation.

We've been conservation "activists" since 1985. And it seems like every year, our level of "activism" has increased. I put "activists" and "activism" in quotes because everyone has a different definition of conservation activism. Not only that, but as I mentioned earlier, with each year, the definition takes on new meaning, and in these trying time, even more significance.
To be honest, I had become a bit unsettled by using the word "activism". I wanted to make sure that we at Art for Conservation didn't alienate those who are still trying to make up their minds about climate change, about the need to protect wild things and wild places.

Then I attended a presentation by Robert Kennedy, Jr. After hearing him speak, what I already believed became obvious. We don't have time to sugar coat conservation messages. The threats to our planet are real. And the solutions are really more evident than most of us realize. Our job at Art for Conservation is to showcase the photographers and artists who are telling the conservation story. And to foster a dialogue about how all of us in the art community can be a part of delivering the conservation message.

I do love my electric scooter, and even though it's only one little step towards energy sustainability, I feel good riding it. But I know that I need to do more. If you want to do more for our planet, join Art for Conservation. Tell your story. Share your images. Become a part of the dialogue - and the solution.

Burning Hawk Wines - Combining Good Business and Environmental Consciousness

The story of Burning Hawk Wines goes like this:

In May of 2008, a news item catches the attention of Nick Popadopoulos and the folks at Windsor Vineyards. A hawk is electrocuted on a power line, catches fire and falls to earth, sparking a fire at the edge of a vineyard in Windsor, California.

From the ashes of this tragedy a vision was born - to create the Burning Hawk philanthropic wine brand dedicated to saving other birds from the same peril. With the enthusiasm and supportof dozens of birders, business executives, conservation organizations, vintners, friends and family, Nick and his collegues began studying the issues and networking to bring Burning Hawk Wine to market less than 3 months.

This endeavor is a perfect example of the marriage of good business and environmental action.

Visit the website www.burninghawk.com, check out the video, buy the wine, support the concept, help the birds!

10% of all March sales of this wine go to support the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program - an organization near and dear to our hearts here in Fort Collins, CO.

A Climate for Life

Fine Print Imaging and Art For Conservation are excited and honored to be working on the production of a traveling exhibit of images from the new book A Climate For Life: Meeting the Global Challenge . Sponsored by the Dean Witter Foundation, the exhibit will open in January, 2009 at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

"A CLIMATE FOR LIFE: Meeting the Global Challenge examines the impact of climate change on biodiversity and focuses on the most important challenges currently facing life on our planet.
With a foreword co-authored by eminent Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson and actor Harrison Ford, and a comprehensive introduction by Conservation International scientists led by president Russ Mittermeier, A CLIMATE FOR LIFE examines the enormous impact of climate change on biodiversity and focuses on how nature itself might provide some of the solutions to this challenge.

A lavishly produced volume, CLIMATE FOR LIFE celebrates the diversity of life on earth, and is a call to action and a blueprint to preserve it. With additional text throughout written collaboratively by leading Conservation International scientists, a nonprofit organization that applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's biodiversity around the world. the book’s ten chapters cover the most important and urgent issues concerning climate change and biodiversity today.

From intense pressure on already stressed flora and fauna, to the implications of polar meltdown, the book explores the effects of rising temperatures on both the land and in oceans across the globe. That said, the book is not all doom and gloom as A CLIMATE FOR LIFE also examines potential and practical solutions and devotes a number of chapters to exploring existing answers. Illustrated with over 175 photographs by esteemed members of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a nonprofit organization that uses the power of photography to help educate the world and to further conservation goals, A CLIMATE FOR LIFE features images from world-class talents including noted wildlife photographer Frans Lanting, glacier photographer James Balog, and endangered species photographer Joel Sartore.

The book includes eleven photography "features" in which the photographers, as eyewitnesses in the field, are interviewed about their first-hand experiences recording the effects of climate change on the environment. Frans Lanting reports in the book that after photographing the same spot in Africa that was shot 100 years ago “…it’s one of those rare instances where you can see extinction in progress before your eyes.”

Powerfully combining both images and offerings, A CLIMATE FOR LIFE, is the result of leading scientists and veteran photographers contributing their talents to showcase the topics, issues, and challenges that society must urgently face, and the book’s lasting impression is that ultimately the responsibility is literally and figuratively in our hands."

Watch A Climate for Life Multimedia piece HERE!

Voices Behind the Camera - ILCP Photographer Florian Schulz

This week's Voice Behind the Camera is Florian Shulz

Born in Germany, Florian Schulz (32) is a professional nature and wildlife photographer with a vision of broad horizons. Through skillfull and artistic photography, he is in the constant search for breathtaking images that inspire individuals to take action in the protection of large endangered ecosystems.

Schulz has dedicated years of his life to documenting the drama and beauty of North America’s most critical wildlife corridor: “Yellowstone to Yukon”. Sponsored by the Blue Earth Alliance, his first book —Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam (2005) received an Independent Book Publisher Award as one of the “Outstanding Books of the Year” singled out as “Most Likely to Save the Planet.”

Images carefully selected from his book, produced a traveling exhibit by the Burke Museum in Seattle. Schulz’s photography has also been displayed in important museums like the American Museum of Natural History, and in 2009 The Field Museum (Chicago) will be hosting Y2Y-Freedom to Roam. Exploring the concept of wildlife corridors and the need for ecosystem connectivity, Yellowstone to Yukon-Freedom to Roam is a beautiful and unique tribute to the North American wild.

As the youngest founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), Florian uses his photography to instill in viewers a greater interest in both the natural and cultural diversity of the planet.

Together with four international renown photographers, Schulz took part in “El Triunfo” RAVE (Rapid Visual Assessment Expedition in Chiapas, Mex) organized to document in depth, a very rich and severely threatened ecosystem in the Clouded Forest of Sierra de Chiapas. The images were used in the media to strongly promote this Biosphere Reserve and were fundamental elements to help raise funds in order to ensure it’s protection.

Twice, the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) has awarded Schulz for his dedicated work on conservation. In 2006 he received the Philip Hyde Environmental Grant and in 2008 he was announced as the first recipient of the 2008 NANPA Vision Award.

Recognized as an outstanding speaker, Schulz has devoted months to promote the idea of creating wildlife corridors. Since the publication of Yellowstone to Yukon, Florian has been featured internationally as a speaker in many prestigious venues from universities, book and film festivals to National Geographic and Microsoft.

Florian’s work has been published by internationally recognized magazines including Nature’s Best, Outdoor Photographer, The Nature Conservancy, The New York Times, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Natur & Kosmos, Airone and TERRA. His photographs have won awards in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, the Nature’s Best International Photography Awards, the Banff International Mountain Photography Competition and the European Nature Photographer of the Year competition.

As part of his continuous conservation work, Florian has committed to a second photography conservation project, which will be part of the series “Freedom to Roam”. It will follow the same line as the past project: connecting wildlife corridors for sustainable wilderness. The new project, under the title “The Wild Edge, from Baja to Beaufort” will lead Florian from the warm waters of Mexico all the way up to Alaska, along the Pacific Northwest coast line.

“… The vision of Y2Y is a gift that future generations will be able to cherish forever. Through my work, I hope to fuel the new conservation movement of connectivity and perhaps, sharing my photography will move people’s heart to get involved in saving North America’s greatest treasure.” -FS

Now, let's listen to the voice behind the camera of Florian Schulz ...

To find out more about Florian visit his website http://www.visionsofthewild.com/

Want to make a difference with your photography?

If you are one of those people who wants to make a difference in the world with your photography, you might want to check out the activities of a friend of ours, Joe Riis.

We met Joe a few years ago when he was still a student at the University of Wyoming and he was selected as one of 10 scholarship students to attend a North American Nature Photography Summit. Since then Joe has been verrry busy. With a network of people and organizations, Joe developed a media campaign to raise awareness of the conservation needs of the Missouri River ecosystem. The conservation photography project titled "Missouri River EXPOSED" focused on the Missouri River as well as the three federally listed endangered species that depend on the river.

This quote from Joe will give you a good feel for what motivates him in his work:

"I feel the duty to protect the places I love, for my future generations, for the entire planet; through the lens of a camera I believe I can accomplish this feat. Photography can be used to change societal thought and action by combining captivating images along with credible science. I want to use my knowledge in Wildlife Biology and Environment & Natural Resources and combine it with my passion for nature photography.

With my photography, I believe I can link the public to credible science with photographs through popular publications, exhibitions, and presentations. I believe that I can change the ideas and actions of everyone from the general public, to religious leaders, to our policy makers with my images. In the end, if I can help protect the natural environment and its processes through my photography, I will essentially be protecting the health and future of the human species."

For more details on the project (and on Joe), check out his website at www.joeriis.com

In his current project, "Pronghorn Passage", Joe partners with writer Emeline Ostlind to bring attention to the growing threats to the critical migration corridor for the pronghorn herds which migrate 170 miles from Grand Teton National Park to the Red Desert in Wyoming.
The website for this project is worth a visit and take some time to check out their blog as well as audio and video pieces. http://www.pronghornpassage.com/

If you don't come away from visiting Joe's sites with renewed inspiration for the power of your own photography, then you're not paying attention!

Voices Behind the Camera - ILCP Photographer Cristina Mittermeier

Please meet a fearless woman, wonderful photographer and a true friend of the earth and all of it's peoples :

CRISTINA GOETTSCH MITTERMEIER
The relationship between nature and humans is where Cristina Mittermeier’s photography finds its true mission. The idea that people and nature are not isolated from each other, but are inexorably connected, lies at the heart of her work. This relationship is particularly poignant when it comes to indigenous people and this where Cristina’s images truly shine. Her work has taken her to 54 countries, including some of the most remote and beautiful areas of our planet.

As a photographer since 1996, Cristina has help produce 8 books, including a series published with Conservation International and Cemex. Megadiversity: Earth's Wealthiest Countries for Biodiversity (1996), Hotspots: Earth's biologically richest and most endangered ecoregions (1998), Wilderness Areas: Earth's Last Wild Places (2002), Wildlife Spectacles (2003), Hotspots Revisited (2005), and Transboundary Conservation: A New Vision for Protected Areas (2005), and Pantanal: South America’s Wetland Jewel (2005) are all part of that series.

Her latest book project, The Human Footprint, was produced with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York in conjunction with her own organization, the ILCP. Cristina serves as Executive Director of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), a prestigious group of photographers which she founded in 2005.

From the popular to the scientific, her work has appeared in major magazines around the world including Nature's Best, Latina, Elan, National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer and American Photo in the United States, Rumbos, Escala and Sale la Foto, in Mexico, Explorador and Terra in Brazil, Man and Biosphere in China, among others.Cristina serves in the Advisory Board of Nature's Best Foundation and is a Board Member of the WILD Foundation.
Visit Cristina's Website

Cristina's images may be purchased at Digital Railroad or Fine Print Imaging

Listen now to the voice behind the camera of Cristina Mittermeier:

Action Alert! Save the Poudre

For those of you in the Colorado area and more specifically, northern Colorado - the information below will be of interest to you. The future of the Poudre River is in the hands of folks proposing dam construction as well as those opposing it. Get informed, get involved and decide for yourself what the appropriate course of action should be.

Quoting from a recent publication by the Colorado chapter of the Nature Conservancy:

"What we lose, we lose forever.

What we save depends on what we do.

ACTION ALERT
SAVE THE POUDRE
www.savethepoudre.com
Dear Save the Poudre Supporters and Friends,
The Poudre River needs your help NOW!
The public hearings on the NISP/Glade Reservoir Project are coming soon and we need you there! Please plan to attend, learn about the issues and
speak up about your concerns. Show the Army Corps of Engineers just how important the Poudre River is to you by attending.
The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) ends on July 30th and these are the only public hearings scheduled.
You may never have another opportunity like this to speak up in such a meaningful way on behalf of the Cache la Poudre River.
Save the Poudre Coalition will provide handouts with talking points and speaking tips at each hearing. Just show up!
1. Mark your calendar now to attend a public hearing. (Get there early for good seats.)
Mon. June 16, 2008 ? Ft. Collins
4:00 ? 6:00 pm Open House, 6:00 pm Public Hearing
Hilton Hotel
425 West Prospect Road
Note: Ft. Collins? area residents are especially encouraged to attend on this date.
Map: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/425+W+prospect+fort+collins+co/
Tues. June 17, 2008 - Ft. Collins
4:00 ? 6:00 pm Open House, 6:00 pm Public Hearing
Fort Collins Senior Center
1200 Raintree Drive
Note: Parking is limited and the meeting room is small. Get there early for good seats.
Map: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/1200+raintree+dr+fort+collins+co/
Thurs. June 19, 2008
6 pm Open House, 7 pm Public Hearing
University of Northern Colorado University Center
2045 10th Avenue
Map: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/2045+10th+Avenue+greeley+co/
2. Contact the Army Corps of Engineers with your written comments.
· Send written comments to request that the Army Corps of Engineers extend the public comment period from 90 days to 180 days.
The EIS is about 1200 pages long including technical reports and took 3 years to prepare. The public needs/deserves more than 90 days
to study these documents.
· Send written comments on the draft NISP Environmental Impact Statement with your concerns about the impacts the project
will have on the Poudre River. For more information on the project and the draft EIS, please visit www.savethepoudre.org and https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/od-tl/eis-info.htm.
· All written comments can be mailed, faxed or emailed and should be addressed to:
Mr. Chandler J. Peter
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Denver Regulatory Office
9307 South Wadsworth Blvd.
Littleton, CO 80128-6901
Fax: (303) 979-0602 / Email: chandler.j.peter@usace.army.mil.
For more information and a packet on how to review and respond to the DEIS, please contact me at the address or phone below.
Sincerely,
Gina C. Janett
Save The Poudre Coalition
ginaciao@frii.com
www.SaveThePoudre.org
970-493-4677