Garth and Paul Check In From Oregon

The best laid plans…. One can never account for weather…. These two well known sayings could not be more apt to the Conservation Photography Expedition happening this week in Southwest Oregon, coordinated in conjunction with the Pew Environment Group.

iLCP Photographers Garth Lenz and Paul Colangelo arrived in Oregon last weekend, and by Tuesday the 19th, had encountered every possible weather hazard imaginable, even though they are unusual in this part of the country at this time of year … at least that is what we were told! Garth even ran into smoldering “handpile and burn” fires on BLM lands which are deliberately set for forest management. The smell of smoke lingers all over his equipment and clothes. But intrepid,fearless and undaunted, both photographers have carried on: adjusting their planned shooting schedules and locations and working with local guides, fishermen, biologists, and conservationists to scout out new options. In short, they are making the best of every opportunity and in the process, they are capturing incredible images of these special forests.

As Paul relates: “In the week that I have been in the O&C Lands in southwest Oregon, I have set camera traps on bear, cougar and deer trails, photographed old-growth forests and snorkelled rivers in search of steelhead, all with the help of local people who know their land intimately. As they fill me in on the details of the history of the O&C Lands, I learn that it is the product of nearly a century and a half of confounding and at times scandalous politics. Locals are only too happy to teach me about their home and brave the icy waters if it means another voice speaking for the ecological importance of this land. ”

Keep tuned, we’ll post more soon.