Florian Schulz is a professional nature photographer and a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP). His Freedom to Roam Project chronicles wildlife migration corridors and shows how each piece of the conservation puzzle connects with the others. This project documents the affects of global warming and human encroachment on wild spaces and makes clear the need for protected wildlife corridors to allow migrating species to be able to move throughout their ranges safely and freely.
Phase one of the Freedom to Roam project documents the wildlife corridor that runs from the arctic down along the coast and through the mountains of North America. The photography from this phase, known as Y2Y or Yellowstone to Yukon, was compiled into a book and selected photos are also on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. Schultz is now starting work on phase two, B2B or Baja to the Beaufort Sea.
The stunning video above puts a face to the conservation efforts and shows just what it is scientists and other conservationists are working to protect. The caribou in this video migrate over proposed oil drilling land, pristine wilderness that the oil companies would have us believe is barren and purposeless but for the oil that lies beneath it. With the effects of global warming diminishing arctic habitat it is more important than ever to protect that habitat, and to make more habitat accessible to arctic wildlife.
For more information on the Freedom to Roam project and award-winning photographer Florian Shulz visit visionsofthewild.com. The NY Times article Home on the Range also provides information on the proposed protection of the Y2Y wildlife corridor.
On Sunday I turned 33. I’m getting to the age where birthdays start to seem bittersweet – it’s great to celebrate another year of life, but at the same time I know my years are limited. I realize I don’t know how many years I’ll get, but I know it’s not all that likely to be more than 100, and I’ve already used a third of that. It’s wondrous but frightening at the same time.
Jim gave me a really sweet card listing some cute and quirky reasons that I should be really glad to be 33. It was really nice of him to notice that I wasn’t really thrilled about it and to write such sweet and cheerful things to me; he could have just given me a store-written card. It might seem silly but those words mean more to me than an expensive gift.
Am I happy with how I’ve spent the last 33 years? In a lot of ways I am. I’ve had a lot of fun, and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve always valued the experience more than having something to show for my time, and I’ve had some really great experiences. I’m happy with who I am, and with the direction that I’m headed, and I’m learning a little about myself, and life, every day. That seems like a pretty good place to be at 33.
A few weeks ago I read this New York Times article about major brands marketing their foods as local to the area where they are either grown or processed, and it got me thinking about what shopping and eating “local” means to me. If I shop at Target, which is headquartered here in Minneapolis, is this shopping local? Or do the goods AND the services have to be here? What about buying Mexican tomatoes at the local food coop? Is this more or less “local” than buying locally grown tomatoes at Whole Foods?
Ultimately, how we each define “local” is up to each of us. For me, I look for locally grown foods and have a preference for smaller farms that use sustainable practices. I prefer grass-fed beef from a local ranch, milk from local grass-fed cows, and organic fruits and veggies from local small farms. But if I can’t find what I’m looking for, or the local organics are out of season, then I have to start making choices. In the winter I choose locally grown hothouse tomatoes over the organic imported varieties. I also shop at Whole Foods over the local coops, and this works for me because I use less gas by driving to fewer locations (yes, I know I should ride my bike, and I’m going to work on that for trips with fewer items) and our Whole Foods stocks a lot of the locally grown meats and produce.
But what about the bigger brands? General Mills is headquartered just outside of Minneapolis. Do their products count as local? For me, I have to say no, and yes. From an ecological standpoint, no, because I know that they’re shipping in raw ingredients from all over the world; the food is not entirely locally grown and quite a large amount of fossil fuels are being used to get all those ingredients to MN. But from an economic standpoint, I know when I’m buying General Mills products I’m helping my neighbors to keep their jobs, and that’s important too.
If you’re a non-vegan in MN and haven’t tried Thousand Hills Cattle beef or Cedar Summit Farms milk, you should check them out. Grass-fed is the best! We’ve also got great farmer’s markets for locally grown fruits and vegetables – my favorite is the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market under the freeway near the North Loop in Minneapolis. It’s open every weekend day in the summer.
If you’re outside of Minnesota and would like to find local farmers and ranchers near you, check out Sustainable Table’s Eat Well Guide.
Today is World Oceans Day, a day to honor our oceans and all they have given us, and to raise awareness for the current plight of our oceans and those that live there. Our oceans are facing issues from global warming to pollution, and the truth is that we cannot survive on this planet without everything the oceans give us.
“The End of the Line” is a documentary about the issues of overfishing that was released in theaters today. This film, hailed by “The Economist” as “The Inconvenient Truth about the oceans,” shows the appalling overfishing that is currently happening in our oceans and will make you think twice about what you order the next time you head out for seafood. Visit the film’s website for more information on tickets or the campaign to prevent overfishing.
Global warming is considered the biggest threat to the oceans (overfishing is number two), with wide ranging impacts from the warming of the oceans, creating inhospitable conditions for fragile ecosystems including coral reefs, to ocean acidification. Thus the more we do to prevent climate change, the better the oceans will be protected.
Greenpeace has a plan to protect 40 percent of the earth’s oceans as marine reserves. This plan would help to protect the oceans against overfishing and pollution and would allow our marine ecosystems a chance to recover. You can sign the petition or learn more about the plan at the Greenpeace campaign page.
This film by Nick Broomfield tells the story of a small group of Greenpeace activists that shut down the UK’s Kingsnorth power station to protest the government’s plan to build new coal-fired power plants. The six activists climbed through the tower to the top and then two members lowered themselves over the side to write a message on the tower. Their actions brought national and international attention to the issue, but the attention they brought wasn’t the real victory – their acquittal of criminal damage was. The message this acquittal sends is clear. The people of the UK will not stand by and allow their government to ignore the issues surrounding climate change.
While I tend to agree with the ideals of Greenpeace, I’ve always had mixed feelings on direct action campaigns. I’ve often wondered if they have any real impact. Often actions of small groups of activists are seen as a bit crazy, and sometimes they even generate sympathy for the opposition. But this is one case in which it’s clear that direct action can make a difference. As of April 23, no new power plants will be built in Britian that do not have carbon capture technology in place. Would this have happened without the shutdown of Kingsnorth? I think not.
There’s something about warm weather that makes me crave sweets. I’ve gotten a little out of control lately, having dessert after lunch and dinner and taking afternoon trips to the local bakeries for fudge brownies and lemon squares, so I’ll be abstaining for a while to break the habit. But of course that doesn’t mean I can’t look… and photograph!
Philip Bloom shot this beautiful video with a Canon 5D mkII while on a short trip to Sophia, Bulgaria to teach filmmakers about 35mm adaptors and DSLRs with HD video capabilities. If you haven’t seen video from the 5D mkII yet, it’s pretty amazing. Bloom states in his article Video DSLRs, the death of 35mm adaptors? that there are still quite a few issues to be worked out with the HD video DSLRs, but this video shows that a lot can be done with a camera ultimately designed to take amazing stills.
I’ve been a bit of a purist when in came to HD video in a DSLR, believing that adding video was just a publicity stunt and that the quality wouldn’t be there, but my view is starting to change. It would be really nice to have video on my next trip, and it’d be great not to have to carry a separate video camera. If they can improve the video capabilities without sacrificing anything in the core still shots, then maybe the camera companies are on to something after all.
There’s about an hour in the morning just after sunrise and an hour in evening just before sunset where the sunlight is especially golden. This is the golden hour, or as I prefer, magic hour. Here in Minnesota we really only get it in the spring, summer and autumn – while we do get it in the winter, it’s a lot less noticeable because the sun is low on the horizon all day.
Last night we had a good rain, but the clouds cleared just a bit along the horizon at magic hour and it made for some really beautiful light. Everything seemed to glow against the dark skies. It reminded me that there truly is magic in this world if you open your eyes to look for it.
June 30, 2009, at 7:50 am
