KICKSTARTING Our Osprey

If you've been following my blog, you're well aware of my efforts to document the Kalamazoo River Osprey. With the birds presently vacationing in South America, I've been busy getting everything in order for their return in late March or early April. That includes raising funds to finish the film!


We've decided to go with the amazing new website, KICKSTARTER, as our fundraising engine. It's a new and exciting way to connect donors with important and creative projects. We'll be launching our campaign in early February and it'll run until March 1st. 


Moneys raised will help finance more filming of the birds when they return; conducting interviews with biologists, including reknowned Osprey expert, Sergej Postupalski; editing and preparing the video for a premiere and broadcast on WGVU; and purchasing a nest-cam for a new nesting platform that John Brenneman of the Kalamazoo Nature Center is constructing in conjunction with Georgia Pacific who owns the property.


The beauty of KICKSTARTER is that it makes fundraising collaborative and fun. The other selling point for people are the rewards that come with the different pledge amounts. We're cooking up some enticing gifts ourselves, all relating to the osprey.


So, stay tuned for the official launch and a link to our homepage on KICKSTARTER.

21st Century Landscapes

I'm proud to announce that the two photos below were recently accepted into a photo exhibit at Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, Michigan. The opening is January 21st. Come join us if you can.

The show is an exhibit for all genres and themes of photography, so I felt as though I needed pictures that transcend the wildlife genre and speak to broader themes.

I chose these two images because they capture that constantly shifting intersection of the natural world and the human-made world. For me, this is the modern, ecological frontier, where the adaptive capacity of all species is being tested by our relentless transformation of the planet. The deer and the red-tailed hawk for instance are actually doing extremely well - but some animals simply aren't.

But good or bad, I'm searching for the beauty--and life--in our 21st century landscapes. I guess if there's an animal living/surviving in an altered landscape, there is an iota of hope. And where there's hope, there's beauty.

More Snowy

Snowy Owls are the buzz across the nation. 

Here's an NPR article.