Wilderness Areas are protected from human development and occur on federal public lands in the United States. They also are a category of wildlands, still natural in many ways.
I like to make a calendar for my family and friends. It is a chance to showcase my photographs around a particular theme and share the wonders of the natural world. It is a chance to look hard at what I’d captured, trying to pull out the very best. A calendar limits me to thirteen … Read more
In July, the Milky Way rises almost vertically in Washington State, moving from east to west throughout the night. On Sourdough Ridge, twilight faded toward darkness, and the stars began to glow. The star band appeared on the southern horizon and rose over our heads to the north. No clouds were visible on any horizon, … Read more
The Katmai Peninsula is wild, still supporting all the animals and fish present when Europeans first came to Alaska. The vastness, the brown bears, the sockeye salmon, and the glaciers leave one in awe. We spent a week in Alaska, where we experienced this landscape. I traveled with Nature Photography Adventures; they organized the trip … Read more
Presentations I am preparing to give several book readings, presentations, and discussion sessions over the next four months. More will be added once the book is available. Some will focus on Alaska and what I cover in my book. Others will be versions of my talk titled What is a Raptor Anyway? Both are about … Read more
Mount Rainier rises above Washington’s skyline, looking down on Puget Sound like an empress overseeing her kingdom. “The Mountain is Out” is a common phrase in Seattle. This happens when clouds are absent or high enough to make the volcano’s peak visible. When I jump on I5 to head south, one of the first things … Read more
One of my charges at The Wilderness Society was to help bring a science component to our conservation work in Alaska. The landscape is wild and extensive but under many threats from development, climate change, and greed. We added an ecological and economic component to the excellent policy and advocacy work. I went to Anchorage … Read more
Brr-rrrrrrrdddd came from behind me and lasted for close to two seconds. I whipped around and realized it was our boatman making that sound. He was standing in the back of the boat with a five-inch fish in his right hand. The fish was shaped like a bluegill and probably was a piranha, for we were … Read more
Clouds concealed Sourdough Ridge and filled both valleys. Mark and Karen, two of my hiking companions, became abstract silhouettes though they were only a hundred feet in front of me. Laurie and I caught up with them at the crest where a breeze made it chilly. The four of us stood abreast, …. keep reading in … Read more
The water cascading down the narrow valley, crashing and tumbling over boulders. Mist hung in the cool air, and the musty smell of fallen leaves and wet conifers filled my nostrils. Beverly Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Teanaway River originates high in the Central Cascades at the edge of Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. … Read more
The Burke Museum recently opened an exhibit titled Wild Nearby that allows you to get a real sense of the vastness and intrigue of the North Cascades. The exhibit has a full sized replica of a fire lookout. You can even get a splinter from the wood if you are not careful. You can … Read more