Posts Tagged: conservation



National Trails Day, White Mountains

02 Jun
2018
National Trails day, hiker on the Appalachian Trail (Gulfside Trail) in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. Mount Washington is in the background. The Great Gulf is on the left out of view.
Gulfside Trail – White Mountains, New Hampshire
 

National Trails Day, White Mountains – Today is American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, an annual event held on the first Saturday in June. The intention of this day is to celebrate and create awareness for America's Trail system. It is also a day to recognize the work of all the volunteers who do trail maintenance along America’s trail system.

My photography work is mainly done in the New Hampshire White Mountains these days, and I see a lot of the work trail maintenance groups and the volunteers of the adapt-a-trail program are doing to better the White Mountains trail system. Unfortunately, I have also seen the destruction done to our trails when volunteers are not properly trained, but that is for another day.

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June 2, 2018 | Categories: Stock Photos | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Photos of Vandalism, White Mountains

20 Nov
2017
Beware of Vandalism sign in New Hampshire.
Beware of Vandalism – New Hampshire
 

Photos of Vandalism, White Mountains – I have been reminiscing about all the conversations I have had this year. And a common topic among many outdoor enthusiasts is all the vandalism in the White Mountains. So today’s blog article focuses on the keyword search term “vandalism”. And this imagery is intended to create awareness for a very concerning issue here in the New Hampshire White Mountains. However, keep in mind that some outdoor enthusiasts feel some of the below acts of vandalism are perfectly acceptable.

When creating awareness for the impact we have on the environment, the norm in today’s outdoor world is to use breathtaking landscape photos of a region. But as an environmental / conservation photographer, when creating awareness for the White Mountains environment, I prefer to use photos that show the impact. I believe showing the actual damage leaves a lasting impression on outdoor enthusiasts. And it influences us to practice “Leave No Trace” and be better stewards of the land.

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November 20, 2017 | Categories: Human Impact on Nature | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

1907 Owl’s Head Mountain Fire

30 Sep
2017
Storm (rain) clouds engulf Owls Head Mountain from the summit of Bondlcliff Mountain in the Pemigewasset Wilderness of New Hampshire during the summer months. Hellgate Ravine is in the foreground.
Storm Clouds over Owl's Mountain Head from Bondcliff, New Hampshire
 

1907 Owl's Head Mountain Fire, White Mountains – During the late 1800s and early 1900s, logging activities from railroad logging contributed to a number of forest fires in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Sparks from locomotives were responsible for starting fires along the railroads. And the logging slash (unwanted part of the tree left behind after an area is logged) left on the mountainsides fueled the forest fires.

The infamous August 1907 Owl’s Head Mountain fire in the Pemigewasset Wilderness was started by a lightning strike on the eastern side of Owl’s Head in an area that had been previously logged by J.E. Henry and Sons. The included color photographs show the general area of where the forest fire took place.

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September 30, 2017 | Categories: White Mountains History | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Definition of Wilderness, White Mountains

29 Jul
2017
Definition of Wilderness, Owls Head from the Franconia Ridge Trail (Appalachian Trail), near Little Haystack Mountain, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire during the last days of summer.
Owls Head – Pemigewasset Wilderness, New Hampshire
 

Definition of Wilderness, White Mountains – I am currently working on a project that has brought me back into the Pemigewasset Wilderness. This wilderness is governed under the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wilderness Act of 1964. And because it is designated wilderness, it has the highest level of protection for federal lands. The recreational opportunities, historical value, and educational platform the Pemigewasset Wilderness offers will educate outdoor enthusiasts for many years to come. It is important that visitors to the region know that the six designated wilderness areas in the White Mountain National Forest are managed differently than the rest of the National Forest. This is where the Wilderness Act comes into play.

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July 29, 2017 | Categories: My Viewpoint | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

National Trails Day, White Mountains

03 Jun
2017
Group of hikers travel along the Tuckerman Crossover Trail in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA during the summer months. Mount Monroe is in the background.
Tuckerman Crossover – White Mountains, New Hampshire
 

National Trails Day, White Mountains – Today is American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, an annual event held on the first Saturday in June. And the intention of this day is to celebrate and create awareness for America's Trail system. It is also a day to recognize the work of all the volunteers who do trail maintenance along America’s trail system.

As environmental photographer and a hiker of the New Hampshire White Mountains, I appreciate all the work that volunteers do along the White Mountains trail system. And to all you adopt-a-trail volunteers, who are truly only volunteering to give back to the White Mountains, THANK YOU.

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June 3, 2017 | Categories: Stock Photos | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Trail Blazing, Trail Stewardship

14 May
2017
A properly applied trail blaze along the Artist's Bluff Path in White Mountains, New Hampshire.
Proper Trail Blaze – Artist's Bluff Path, New Hampshire
 

Trail Blazing, Trail Stewardship – I have been hearing more and more complaints about painted trail blazing (paint marks on trees that mark the path of a trail) along the White Mountains trail system. Either the trail is excessively blazed or not blazed enough. Personally, I don’t mind the trails that have little trail blazing. But I am not a fan of the excessive trail blazing. Over the years I have photographed different types of blazing styles and today I going to share a few of them.

Proper trail blazing protocol seems to vary among the trail maintenance organizations, but the ending result is the same. And most of these organizations agree that a standard trail blaze is a two inch by six inch rectangle placed about head height on trees. No painting of arrows, only a single vertical blaze, should be painted on a tree. For more information on blazing see the Randolph Mountain Club’s trail blazing protocol page.

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May 14, 2017 | Categories: Trail Stewardship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Happy Earth Day 2017, New Hampshire

22 Apr
2017
Happy Earth Day! Sunset along the Appalachian Trail (Gulfside Trail) near Mount Clay in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA during the summer months.
Sunset – Gulfside Trail, White Mountains
 

Earth Day, April 22, 2017 – Happy Earth Day from New Hampshire! Earth Day is an annual day founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Many consider Earth Day to be the birth of the modern environmental movement. And the purpose of this day is to celebrate and create awareness for the environment.

Earth Day acts as an educational tool and influences all generations to care about the environment. If you have never heard about this day take some time to read up on the history and importance of Earth Day here.

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April 22, 2017 | Categories: Stock Photos | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »