Posts Tagged ‘British Columbia’

Carr Clifton At Mountain Light Gallery

January 9th, 2012

A Solo Exhibition of New Work

Carr Clifton

Nine Weeks In The Sacred Headwaters

Guest Artist Exhibit At Galen Rowell’s Mountain Light Gallery

Bishop, California

January 13 to March 15, 2012

Artist’s Reception and Booksigning

Friday, January 13, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Slope in the Spectrum Range, Mount Edziza Provincial Park, Coast Mountains, British Columbia, Canada, copyright 2011 by Carr Clifton.

Please join Mountain Light Gallery on Friday, January 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for the opening of its latest guest artist exhibition, Nine Weeks in the Sacred Headwaters, featuring 32 fine art prints of the Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia, Canada, by master printmaker and award-winning photographer Carr Clifton.

In collaboration with author and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis, and the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), Carr Clifton captured some of the most beautiful and most endangered lands in North America.

Nine weeks trekking hundreds of miles of backcountry trails and roads, and 10 aerial shoots from helicopters, Carr Clifton’s portfolio of this incredible region conveys the importance of protecting this precious place from large scale industrial development. Many individuals and organizations donated their time and financial support making this project possible, and resulting in the visually stunning book, The Sacred Headwaters: The Fight to Save the Stikine, Skeena, and Nass, written by Wade Davis, with photography by Carr Clifton and others, published by Greystone Books.

Mountain Light Photography, Inc.

106 S. Main Street

Bishop, California 93514

(760) 873-7700

Visit us at MountainLight.com

18 comments »

Posted in Events-Releases

Tags:

Big Wild, iLCP RAVE Sacred Headwaters By Paul Colangelo

November 29th, 2010
SPECIAL GUEST BLOG POST

Big Wild Raises Funds and the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) Sponsors A Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition (RAVE) To The Coal Bed Methane Threatened Sacred Headwaters In Northern British Columbia…

By Paul Colangelo

In March, Paul Colangelo received the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2010 Philip Hyde Grant to help with photography of the Sacred Headwaters in Northern British Columbia, Canada. Paul Colangelo gives us an update on progress since in his own words. Please support the protection of the Sacred Headwaters with YOUR VOTE BY DECEMBER 7. (See below.)

Juvenile Stone Sheep, Todagin Mountain, Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia, Canada by Paul Colangelo.

The Sacred Headwaters is the shared birthplace of three of British Columbia’s greatest salmon-bearing rivers, the Stikine, Skeena and Nass. The Sacred Headwaters supports one of the largest intact predator-prey systems in North America, and it has been the territory of the Tahltan Nation for thousands of years. It is now under threat of industrial development, but a moratorium has given us two years to decide the fate of this land. We have until December 2012 to protect the Sacred Headwaters.

The Sacred Headwaters is a remote mountainous region in northern British Columbia, at the intersection of two of the continent’s major wildlife corridors: the Yellowstone to Yukon region and the boreal forest. In this subalpine basin, three of British Columbia’s salmon-bearing rivers – the Stikine, Skeena and Nass Rivers – are born among mountains and vast meadows. The Sacred Headwaters, known as the “Serengeti of the North,” supports one of the largest intact predator-prey systems in North America.

Volcanic Cone and the Headwaters of Maitland Creek, Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia, Canada by Paul Colangelo.

The Sacred Headwaters has been the traditional territory of the Tahltan First Nation for thousands of years. The Tahltan consider this land sacred for its hunting, cultural, and spiritual values. The health of the rivers’ salmon and trout populations are vital to the ecosystems, culture and local economies of the northwest.

In 2004, the British Columbian government granted Royal Dutch Shell tenure for nearly one million acres in the Sacred Headwaters for a Coal Bed Methane development. This would result in thousands of Coal Bed Methane wells, connecting roads and pipelines, turning the heart of the Sacred Headwaters into an industrial maze. Not only would this fracture critical habitat, but the process risks contaminating the rivers and altering water levels.

Members of the Tahltan Nation, environmental organizations, and concerned citizens of Northwestern British Columbia united in opposition to Shell’s Coal Bed Methane development and pressured the government to end resource development in the Sacred Headwaters. Tahltan elders blockaded road access, and every First Nation and municipal council downstream of the Sacred Headwaters called for a moratorium on development. Renowned environmentalist David Suzuki and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis spoke out against the Sacred Headwaters development. Ali Howard from Smithers, British Columbia swam the entire 610 km Skeena River over 28 days to raise awareness.

Bobby Brush Readies Horses, Yehiniko Valley, British Columbia, Canada by Paul Colangelo.

In 2008, as a result of this pressure, the British Columbian government issued a temporary moratorium on Coal Bed Methane development in the Sacred Headwaters. This only delayed the Coal Bed Methane development, as the moratorium will expire in December 2012, allowing Shell to commence drilling. Conservation efforts are now aimed at increasing public pressure on the British Columbian government to establish a permanent moratorium on Coal Bed Methane development within the Sacred Headwaters.

Few people, however, have witnessed this remote landscape, and without a comprehensive body of visual work, campaigns cannot visually connect the public to the place they are being asked to protect from Coal Bed Methane destruction.

To aid in the conservation effort, I began shooting Sacred Headwaters, Sacred Journey, a photography project aimed at taking people on a journey through the Sacred Headwaters and presenting the issues that surround it. I have spent the past year and a half shooting and campaigning to raise awareness of this relatively unknown region. A big part of the project has been collaborating with environmental organizations, providing them with imagery for their campaigns to raise enough public support to permanently protect the Sacred Headwaters in our last window of opportunity.

Klappan Range, Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia, Canada by Paul Colangelo.

This project was made possible by the generous support of foundations, companies and private donors. The NANPA Foundation or North American Nature Photography Association Foundation supported the project with its 2010 Philip Hyde Grant, which is awarded annually to an individual NANPA member who is actively pursuing completion of a peer-reviewed environmental project that is consistent with the missions of NANPA and the NANPA Foundation. [For more about the 2010 Philip Hyde Grant see the blog post, "NANPA Philip Hyde Grant 2010." See also the blog post about the 2008 Philip Hyde Grant recipient, Amy Gulick, and her work in the Tongass National Forest, Alaska, "Salmon In The Trees: Amy Gulick's Conservation Photography."]

The International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) joined me in the Headwaters this past summer to conduct a Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition (RAVE). Go HERE to read what a RAVE is. The iLCP is made up of the world’s top conservation photographers and has a mission to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography. Their RAVE initiative sends a group of conservation photographers to a threatened region to create a body of work to be used to raise awareness. This summer, iLCP photographers Wade Davis, Carr Clifton, Joe Riis and Claudio Contreras spent three weeks photographing in the Sacred Headwaters.

Moose, Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia, Canada by Paul Colangelo.

Sacred Headwaters, Sacred Journey was awarded Mountainfilm’s inaugural Commitment Grant, which supports five individuals who are producing film, video, photography, book, art, and multimedia projects intended to move audiences to action on issues that matter. The Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado from May 27 – 30, 2011 will include an exhibit on the Sacred Headwaters, and Wade Davis will speak about the issue.

How You Can Help…

There are a number of ways you can support the Sacred Headwaters campaign. Visit www.sacredheadwatersjourney.com to learn more about the issues and tell the BC government that you support the protection of the Headwaters from Coal Bed Methane and other destructive uses by signing an online petition and emailing the Premier.

Grand Canyon of the Stikine River, Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia, Canada by Paul Colangelo

Vote Here Please…

You can also help the project win funding by voting for it in a competition sponsored by The Big Wild, an organization aimed at protecting half of Canada’s public land. The Big Wild will award $10,000 to three conservation projects out of a group of five finalists, and Sacred Headwaters, Sacred Journey is in the running under the North West Watch Society. Please visit www.thebigwild.org/bucks to cast your vote. A vote for the North West Watch Society is a vote for the Sacred Headwaters.

Paul Colangelo specializes in editorial assignments and conservation efforts. His work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute, was awarded an honorable mention in the International Photography Awards, and named a finalist in BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Paul Colangelo lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. www.paulcolangelo.com

12 comments »

Posted in Activist Photography

Tags:

Denali National Park, Alaska Travel Log 2

April 7th, 2010

Denali National Park, Alaska Travel Log: June 14-September 14, 1971 by Ardis Hyde

(Ardis, David and Philip Hyde in Their Camper. Continued from Blog Post, “Denali National Park, Alaska Travel Log 1.”)

Part Two: Kelsey Bay, British Columbia to Ketchikan, Alaska

Ridge of Wonder Pass Peak, Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada, 1995 by Philip Hyde.

June 20:  The Canadian ferry at Kelsey Bay depends on tides for its arrival and departure times. When we arrived at the dock under a heavy gray sky around 9:30 am, the ferry called the Queen of Prince Rupert was just unloading cars. We pulled into the parking lane to wait. They measured our rig. Including the Avion Camper and Utility body 1968 GMC Pickup, we measured 21 feet in length. They let us drive on at about 12:50 pm. The car deck is arranged for two stacks of cars on the outer edges. Campers, motor homes and small trucks park in the center lanes. We watched the closing of the car deck drawbridge, then climbed the stairs to the upper deck to see the bow lowered into place for the voyage. Next we went to our stateroom. David was glowing over “my own top deck.” He climbed up for a nap. Philip and I also had a brief nap on the bottom bunk. The dimensions of the stateroom precluded any possibility of sleeping on the floor, which we would prefer over a soft, sagging bed. The wash basin and seat reduced the area available.

When David woke up we went out on deck. The sky was full of clouds, but they were pretty ones. The air was mild, but we needed to be bundled up when walking the bow deck due to wind. We were excited to see numerous schools of killer whales, cavorting and spraying, emerging with high dorsal fins showing. We went in to dinner at 6 pm. The food was very ordinary but the service was good. The notable feature of this passage is the closeness to islands all the time. The islands are wooded with bare gray rock bases up to the high tide line. We finally got away from logging evidence but logs still occasionally floated by. We headed away from Vancouver Island during dinner and into the open ocean. Experienced a slight choppiness at times, but the whole voyage was generally smooth. Philip went out to the camper for the night to have more sleeping room. He said it was 70 degrees and too warm. Our stateroom was well ventilated. David and I slept well.

June 21, Monday:  Over an ordinary breakfast, we visited with a young couple from Toronto. They were headed back to Toronto by way of the Prince George Highway. Before breakfast we had the experience of searching for David. We had left him in the stateroom to go to the car deck. He had gone down a stairway, made a few turns and couldn’t find his way back. We retrieved him via the purser, who called the room to tell us David was at his office. We went out on deck after breakfast: rain and a low ceiling. We were close to shore and coming into Prince Rupert. We were the first ones off the ferry after the big bus at 9:15 am. First we drove to the local museum, then out to a view point overlooking a tidal rapid, Butze Rapids Park. Dreary and rainy all day. Lunch and naps. On out to Prince Edwards to the pulp mill. Stopped for pics. Small fishing port, nets drying on dock racks. Back into town and down to the ferry dock. Still early but many cars already parked in line up. I baked cornbread for dinner. Rain began in earnest and continued hard all night. Drove to get gas and oil supply in town and then back to parking area for the night.

June 22:  Philip woke up at 5:20 am, dressed and went to inquire about lining up for Customs. Turned out to be very routine. We passed onto the ferry Wickersham promptly. It was immediately apparent the difference in the way the two ferry systems operate. The Canadian ferry was immaculate, run with great efficiency and good service. The Alaska lines ferries were just the opposite. We settle down for the five and one half hour passage to Ketchikan, Alaska. David was occupied with Sesame Street Magazine until noon. We tried the cafeteria which was very poor, ugh. Weather continued wet with low clouds. Only a slight inkling of the high mountains along the inside passage. We were never away from the sight of land. We pass large and small islands and the passageway widens and narrows as we progress. At Ketchikan harbor the water had frequent jelly fish near the surface, pale orange and round.

The ferry Taku was at the dock when we arrived. As it pulled out we pulled in broadside to the dock with the exit door on the side. We were among the first to leave and drove onto Tongass Avenue. After getting our bearings and local information we drove right out to Saxman Village to see the Cape Fox Indian Dancers. They perform when a cruise ship comes in like the one this time called the Halia. We got there for the last two dances. Donations were asked for and we were appalled to hear that only $8.00 was collected from three bus loads of tourists. I bought souvenir leather doll pins. Next we spent some time at the adjacent Totem Park. A light rain fell but Philip took pictures anyway. In the yard of the Pentecostal Church across the street native forget-me-nots, Bachelor Button and wild roses grew in lush profusion.

We continued along South Tongass Avenue to the point where two islands just off shore caught our attention and stopped us. They were so like those we have seen in photographs of the Inland Sea of Japan, up-tilted strata, moss, bonsai conifers topping them. It was low tide so we could walk onto the smaller one. We broke out all of our rain gear. Philip photographed under the umbrella I held for him. David had a marvelous time exploring the tidal zone, pretending he was an Eskimo harpooner after whales, seals, dolphins, walruses, etc. On our way back he invited us into his house, a beautiful shelter provided by a huge overturned tree, the roots in a beautiful cross-work pattern overhead. Indeed, we entered a little room. He had found a piece of plywood drift, placed two rocks on it and offered us coffee. “The best coffee I’ve had,” Philip said. Literally and figuratively it was, our most hospitable moment so far.

We drove on out the road past the end of the pavement at eight miles. Beyond that we stopped for a photograph of a bald eagle perched on a snag. He was immature and wouldn’t fly away even when Philip moved close in. Soon we stopped at a wide pull off for the night and went to bed exhausted right after dinner. The drying line hung full of wet clothes. It poured hard outside as we fell asleep to the low roar of a roadside waterfall.

June 23:  It rained hard all night. We arose at 7 am to find…

CONTINUED IN THE BLOG POST, “Denali National Park, Alaska Travel Log 3.”

7 comments »

Posted in Philip/Ardis Trip Logs

Tags:

Denali National Park, Alaska Travel Log 1

March 29th, 2010

Denali National Park, Alaska Travel Log: June 14-September 14, 1971 By Ardis Hyde

(Ardis, David and Philip Hyde in Their Avion Camper on a GMC 3/4 ton Utility Body Pickup)

Part One: Northern California to British Columbia

Mt. Lassen from Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California by Philip Hyde.

(See photograph full screen: Click Here.)

June 14:  Left home at 8:15 am. Sunny with scattered puffy clouds. North to Susanville, through Adin to Alturas. Brief lunch stop along roadside. David piled out with his “new” twin lens reflex camera (out of commission) and tripod Philip gave him. David’s purpose was to “take pictures of flowers.” Marvelous to behold David’s detailed imitations of his father. He woke up knowing this was the day we were leaving for Alaska. “My head is shaking because I’m so excited.” The land showed beautiful lush green evidence of the wet season we’ve had. The pluvial lakes were all extra high as well as many no-name lakes in low places. Farm country, range cattle and open space. First open range, bluffs of lava flows, then into lodgepole pine forest. Spent the night at Lava Butte, Oregon in the planted pine forest for possible pics in the morning. The Three Sisters, Bachelor Butte, Mt. Brokeoff all snow-covered.

June 15:  Woke up about 6 am and drove up toward the top of Lava Butte, but the gate was closed until 9:30 am. Started out on foot, David and Philip with their cameras and tripods over their shoulders. A park ranger stopped and gave us a ride to the top. On foot again we circled the crater, David and Philip taking pictures of good views of the peaks including Mt. Shasta and Mt. Theilsen. Into Bend, Oregon to Jerry’s Trailer Supply to see about repairing the Camper’s Monomatic Toilet that had been leaking. Philip bought the faulty valve and repaired the toilet himself. I grocery shopped in the meantime. North to Madras where we turned into the Warm Springs Reservation to go swimming at Ka-Nee-Ta again. David enthusiastic and worked hard practicing swimming. Leaving the reservation we were treated to masses of wild flowers in all directions: Mules Ears or Wyethia especially abundant, lupine and buckwheat grass lush everywhere. Snow-topped Mt. Jefferson was glorious. North to Dalles Bridge. Wheat fields turning gold. David woke up from a nap in his bunk over the cab, just as we crossed the Columbia River, looking upstream at Celilo Dam (Dalles Dam) that submerged the once mighty Celilo Falls. After dinner we drove on to Yakima State Park, Washington, on the banks of the Yakima River.

June 16:  Before leaving Yakima State Park, David had a swing and play on the equipment nearby. Beautiful clear morning going over Snoqualmie Pass. Cold, lots of old snow, some fog on top. Into Seattle traffic lineup across Lake Washington floating bridge. Into worse congestion trying to reach parking lot at Seattle Center.  Finally found our way around traffic by going way around Queen Anne Hill to get to the other side of the city. We rode downtown on the Monorail. Shopped at the REI Coop, then returned to Seattle Center. We walked through the Fire Engine Museum. David chose a fire engine to ride on in the nearby concession. Just made it to Mukeliteo in time to get on the ferry to Columbia Beach on Whidbey Island. We drove the length of Whidbey Island in late sunlight to Deception Bay State Park (Deception Pass State Park). At Deception Bay State Park we ate a quick dinner at Rosario Beach while watching a couple put on all their diving equipment. We walked down the beach and around the headland as we had on a previous visit. David enjoyed the tide pools and rock scrambling.

June 17:  Caught the 8 am ferry from Anacortes. Another perfect sunny day with the water glassy and smooth. Ferry stopped at Lopez Island and Orcas Island, then on to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. At Sidney, Vancouver Island, no trouble with customs. They only wanted to know about stone fruits and didn’t want to look into anything else. In Victoria we parked downtown and walked to the harbor, tourist information and the Provincial Museum. Also parked on Government Street and looked around in the shops. Parking lots and streets were nearly empty. Canadians very pleasant and the lack of automobile traffic is refreshing. The Provincial Museum exhibited Indian Canoes, Totem Poles, Lodges and many other artifacts. We bought David a small hand-carved dugout canoe.

June 18:  North up Vancouver Island on Canada Route 1 in intermittent rain. Drove into Goldstream Park to admire the lush, undisturbed rain forest. Around Comax, development has reduced the charm and the natural setting. Pulled into Miracle Beach Campground. Picked out a campsite on Maple Lane. They were all like private rooms with leafy walls and ceiling. Rain stopped, so we cooked hotdogs over alder wood fire. We walked out to the beach of large pebbles and many driftwood logs. Coming back we wound around a network of trails through the woods. The wild roses were the largest we have ever seen, as big as Philip’s hand. Found a flame-colored honeysuckle, foam flower and other delicate white blossoms in the deep shade. Mosquitoes are bad here.

June 19: At Black Creek we stopped to walk along driftwood on the beach and rocks of the breakwater out to an old ship hull beached in the sand. David was singing and beachcombing along the way. Soon his pockets were bulging with crab skeletons, shells and driftwood.  When we returned to the Camper, he arranged them in a display in his “studio.” David sleeps in the bed above the cab and rides up there sometimes while we are driving. He calls it his “studio.” He is also very busy building a float plane with Nuts and Bolts and a ferry and a fire boat out of Lego. Lunch at Elk Falls in Strathcona Provincial Park. Philip walked to the overlook. He said there was only a trickle of water because it had been diverted for the hydro-electric works. Up to Middle Lake and across the crest of the mountains. Everywhere logging and fire scars but many small lakes covered with blooming water lilies. Some light rain, but a stiff south wind raised the clouds until we could see the snow patched mountain peaks. The Strait of Georgia narrows and the opposite shore was close, with the dark red vertical faces of the mountains, and forests on their layered shelves, all easily visible. Made another stop for the view down into Crown and Zellerback’s Duncan Bay Mill and Pulp Plant, a vast layout of mill, plant, sawdust barges, log booms and machinery with lots of activity and smoke emissions. No road sign for Morton Lake Park, missed it completely and the town too. Signs and even towns not visible where they were shown on the map, we’ve found is typical of British Columbia. Ended up camping in a gravel pit on the left side of the road. At least David had a big pile of white sand to play in.

June 20:  The Canadian ferry at Kelsey Bay depends on tides for its arrival and departure times…

(CONTINUED IN THE BLOG POST, “Denali National Park, Alaska Travel Log 2.”

4 comments »

Posted in Philip/Ardis Trip Logs

Tags:

NANPA Philip Hyde Grant 2010

January 27th, 2010

NANPA Foundation Announces 2010 Recipient of the Philip Hyde Grant

Award Highlights Use of Photography in Conservation

Bald-faced hornet, Vespula maculata, emerging from nest, Ontario, by Paul Colangelo. (Finalist in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.)

Wheat Ridge, Colorado – The NANPA Foundation has announced that Paul Colangelo of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is the recipient of the 2010 Philip Hyde Grant for his work in British Columbia. This $5,000 peer-reviewed grant is awarded annually to an individual member of the North American Nature Photography Association who is actively pursuing completion of an environmental project.

Sacred Headwaters, Sacred Journey is a documentary project of the Sacred Headwaters. Wildlife and nature photographer Paul Colangelo and writer Amanda Follett plan to raise awareness of this remote land and the issues surrounding it. See www.paulcolangelo.com and http://www.sacredheadwatersjourney.com/ for more information about Paul and the project in the northern reaches of North America.

Forest fire remains, Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada, by Paul Colangelo. (In the group exhibit at the Smithsonian.)

Paul Colangelo specializes in editorial assignments and conservation efforts. His work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute, was awarded an honorable mention in the International Photography Awards, and named a finalist in BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Paul Colangelo lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In northern British Columbia, three of the province’s greatest salmon-bearing rivers (the Skeena, the Stikine and the Nass) are formed in the subalpine basin known as the Sacred Headwaters. The land has one of the largest intact predator-prey systems in North America, earning it the nickname, “Serengeti of the North,” and is the traditional territory of the Tahltan First Nation. It also is the location of natural resources such as coal and coal-bed methane and gold.

Headwaters of the Skeena River, Sacred Headwaters, British Columbia, by Paul Colangelo. (From the Sacred Headwaters, Sacred Journey project.)

The Sacred Headwaters are at the center of a dispute between the Tahltan First Nation, resource development industries, government and environmental groups. Competing interests concerning land use, mining and hunting have created divides and put the future health of the Sacred Headwaters at risk.

The NANPA Foundation develops, supports and implements nature photography projects jointly with the North American Nature Photography Association and other organizations. It initiates, partners, operates and generates funding for projects that advance awareness of and appreciation for nature through photography. For information about the NANPA Foundation, visit its website at www.nanpafoundation.org. For information about NANPA and the Annual Summit, visit www.nanpa.org.

5 comments »

Posted in Activist Photography

Tags: