Archive for the ‘Environmental Issues’ Category
Issues pertaining to the environment, the planet and landbase upon which we live – stuff like logging and clearcutting, oil drilling, global warming, energy concerns, rivers, forests and all those great thigns we seem to bent on destroying.
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Gilbert Point, the Hubbard Glacier and Mt Seattle, Disenchantment Bay, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Aerial photo. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
Here’s an image from the first night of my most recent trip, a month long adventure down around the coastline of Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve. This photo was taken on the air taxi flight out to the coast; we departed a little from the scheduled route and I shot some images of the Hubbard Glacier and surrounding area. The points of interest here start with the Hubbard Glacier itself, generally regarded as the largest tidewater glacier in the world. At over 70 miles long, it’s quite a chunk of ice (given part of our trip was to look at the Malaspina Glacier and it caving into a tidal lagoon, the Hubbard’s claim to fame may be short-lived; the Malaspina is much bigger, and most definitely reaches the ocean).
You can also just see the edge of Valerie Glacier, (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Disenchantment Bay, Gilbert Point, Hubbard Glacier, Mt. Seattle, scenics, Skolai Images, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Environmental Issues, Landscapes, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | No Comments »
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
Erie Mine Bunkhouse and the Wrangell Mountains, fall colors. Erie Mine is one of three mines that made up the famous Kennecott Copper Mines, Kennicott, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
From the aerial shoot we did in September; this one is of the old bunkhouse at Erie Mine, one of the 3 Kennecott Mines, in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park.
It’s interesting to me how much money, time and investment the National Park Service put into Kennecott, an old abandoned Copper Mine. The basic tenant of the Park Service is “don’t take stuff out of the place, and don’t leave your trash behind”.
It seems odd to effectively celebrate an organization that did quite the opposite of that. The mining company, like most mining companies, took what they wanted from the landscape, and left all their sh** behind when they were done. Now, what they did is revered.
But, such are the ways of the NPS; sometimes they’re hard to follow.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Aerial Photos, Fall, Kennecott, Landscapes, scenics, Skolai Images, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Wrangell Mountains
Posted in Aerial Photos, Alaska, Environmental Issues, Fall, Landscapes, Musings, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 2 Comments »
Saturday, April 23rd, 2011
A dried up pond on what is normally a wetland. Effects of climate change, global warming.The coastal plain near the Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
For the less progressive of the folks who read this blog, Happy Flat Earth Day.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, conservation, Skolai Images
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, ANWR, Environmental Issues, Landscapes, Miscellaneous, Nature stuff | 1 Comment »
Friday, April 1st, 2011
Hey Folks,
Just spreading the word here: You’re all familiar with GoDaddy hosting service. The CEO, Bob Parsons has posted a video of himself on vacation to Zimbabwe, where he, gets this … shoots a bull elephant. The video is presented here.
The guise that this is “saving people’s crops” is simply ridiculous; I suppose next he’ll save by handing out free GoDaddy caps to villagers he not only fed, but clothed, the villagers.
If you host your site with GD, I hope you’ll take steps to move it elsewhere. I certainly would. There’s no way I’d want any of my money going to fund this idiot’s business.
Photographer Jim Goldstein has a blog on this topic, as well; and full props to him for getting the word out there on a subject like this. HIs blog is here.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: conservation, elephants, Godaddy
Posted in Environmental Issues, News, Rants | No Comments »
Sunday, March 27th, 2011
A coastal brown bear, Ursus arctos, walks along Brooks River shoreline at dawn, backlit, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hey Folks
Next up in this series of news of the month pieces.
This month, I haven’t been spending as much time in the woods, and even less reading the news. Mostly, I’ve been grating sandpaper over my eyeballs … more commonly called “working on website updates”. I need to take about a year off, and learn how to do this properly, then start over from scratch and rebuild everything (yeah, that’s gunna happen).
Below I’ve compiled various bits from around the web that held my failing attention long enough to actually read through the piece. Feel free to add your own stuff of note, I’d love to see some things I’ve missed.
In a completely random order: (more…)
Tags: Alaska, conservation, Environmental Issues, Grizzly Bears, Mount Blackburn, News, Skolai Images, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Alaska, Art, Environmental Issues, Grizzly Bears, News, Photo business, Photography, Social Media, Stuff to Click On, Tech Stuff, Wildlife, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
Backcountry Skiing trip, Kuskulana River, Mt. Blackburn, winter, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hey Folks
The next of the monthly series for 2011. The biggest news, of course, in photography this month was the Oscars. I, of course, missed them. Again. Ahh well – there goes pop culture, I spose.
The next biggest piece of news is that I’ve been spending quite a bit of time out of town, tooling around in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, enjoying the mountains. A few days here, a few days there; beats the heck out of navigating the treacherous icy roads of Anchorage. And much more interesting than reading the news. 
Below is what caught my eye this month. I’ve been in the mtns a bit, so might have missed some good stuff. Feel free to add your own stuff of note.
In no particular order: (more…)
Tags: conservation, environment, Moose, News, Photography, Skolai Images, Wildlife
Posted in Cool stories, Environmental Issues, Moose, News, Photo business, Photography, Social Media, Stuff to Click On, Tech Stuff, Wildlife | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
Hey Folks
The first of the monthly series for 2011. In no particular order: (more…)
Tags: Alaska, conservation, environment, News, Photography
Posted in Alaska, Environmental Issues, News, Photo business, Photography, Social Media, Stuff to Click On, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 4 Comments »
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
Hey Folks,
December 6, 2010, marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, in Alaska. To commemorate this, and as a tribute to an amazing place, I’ve put together this slide show; 50 photos to mark the 50 years. These are all images from the Refuge, over 19 million acres of wild lands. The refuge is a treasure, home to thousands of creatures and features; the caribou herds, the Brooks Mountains, the broad coastal plain, migratory birds and countless other gifts to this world. A beautiful landscape that warrants our respect, not our exploitation.
I selected the images to present a the diversity of features and creatures that call the Refuge home, and composed and recorded the music to accompany it. I hope you enjoy it. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, animals, ANWR, Arctic, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Landscapes, music, scenics, Wildlife
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, ANWR, Art, Cool stories, Environmental Issues, Landscapes, News, Rafting | 4 Comments »
Monday, November 29th, 2010
Morning in the Wrangell Mountains
Hey Folks,
‘Stuff to Click On’; videos, photos, articles, quotes, etc .. stuff that caught my eye during the month. If you missed last month’s posting, you can read it here.
In following up from last month’s comments, I guess one of the things I get frustrated about with the “Social Media” whirlwind is the barrage of cr** that folks seem to love to scatter all over the internet. Jeff Sweat, writing for the Huffington Post, says “It’s as if you’re trying to feed someone by shooting pieces of a sandwich — bread, tomatoes, meat — past their head at 90 miles an hour. And half of the things flying by them aren’t even food, they’re garbage. Or toasters. The odds of someone eating your sandwich are pretty slim.” Note to Twitter users; just because it landed in your feed is no reason to pass it on. It reminds me of those emailers we all seem to have in our address book, who pass along every single joke/cartoon/touching story of faith, etc that comes their way. People, please stop.
An example? Here, look at this article on the Huffington Post. The title of that page is “21 Insanely Gorgeous Valleys Around The World (PHOTOS)”. How about “21 Insanely Mediocre Photos”? We kind of expect this from the news media, I suppose, as they strive to sell advertisements. But friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc, etc .. let’s not stoop to that. You love it, post it and say so. If not, don’t regurgitate drivel. (more…)
Tags: conservation, Environmental Issues, environmentalism, News, Photography
Posted in Environmental Issues, News, Photography, Stuff to Click On | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
A small bloom of Arctic Lupine in the Brooks Mountain Range catch last light of the summer day. Land of the midnight sun, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, in arctic Alaska where the coastal plain meet the Brooks Mountain Range. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of the photo.
Hey Folks,
Another photo from the Brooks Range, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Back in September the US F&WS (Fish and Wildlife Service) announced, as part of their Comprehensive Conservation Plan, that “the Service will conduct wilderness reviews for three Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) for potential inclusion within the National Wilderness Preservation System. These three WSAs encompass almost all refuge lands not currently designated as wilderness”. This is good news. I’ll reiterate my favorite part of the quote: “These three WSAs encompass almost all refuge lands not currently designated as wilderness“.
There are numerous steps involved, and, if recommended by the US F&WS, approval is required by the Dept Director, the Secretary of the Interior, and the President. Then, the final decision lies with the US Congress; the actual authority to designate land as ‘wilderness’.
It’s almost comical, really; such a rigorous and formalized process to meander through in order to deem lands “wild”. Implicit in the word wild is ‘free will’ – yet not quite so wild as to be free of the rigmarole of official procedure, of course.
Anyone who suggests the 19 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge isn’t a wilderness either hasn’t been there or is simply in denial. Perhaps I could say it more clearly this way; if the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge doesn’t qualify for ‘wilderness designation’, then we might as well remove that term from our vocabulary. Surely there is no place more deserving of such designation than the Refuge?
The “wilderness reviews” should be completed by Feb 2011, which will be followed by a released draft, more public comment, more revisions, and hopefully, a final plan and recommendation in May 2012. Apparently wilderness takes careful planning and review; it’s not simply created overnight.
A reminder that Dec 06, 2010, marks the coming anniversary of the establishment of the Refuge; I’m working on a little project for it, and should have it online soon. Stand warned.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, ANWR, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Environmental Issues, Skolai Images
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, ANWR, Environmental Issues, Landscapes, News, Rafting | 3 Comments »
