2024 Top Photography Moments

It may be mid-February 2025, but I still wanted to share my favorite images from 2024. I fell in early November of 2024 and have been living with post-concussion syndrome ever since, so I am just accepting that I am behind in life and late with everything this year. Until this week, it has been too challenging to write, so I am thankful that I can put some thoughts together and share moments from 2024 that meant a lot to me.

Coastal Rays – The image above is one of my favorites from 2024 for a couple of reasons. First, I never expected to be at such an iconic location at sunrise along the Oregon Coast over the 4th of July weekend and have this place to ourselves. There was only one other couple there while we were enjoying the sunrise. It was a beautiful, quiet, and peaceful morning as pastel colors and anticrepuscular clouds overtook the sky, and sand and fog hung along the hillsides. This morning was especially special because I was with several family members, too. Most of my photos are taken while I am alone, but this was a family trip, and this morning, my boys, their girlfriends, my brother, and two nieces all came with me. We had so much fun and it is a moment I will always treasure as I spent it with all of them.

2. Homecoming—captured from Crystal Cove State Park, CA, in August. This is another image captured for a future book project, “Where Time Stands Still.“ I grew up in a small cottage over summers and was the fourth generation to live here in my family. My great-grandparents’ home (The Whistle Stop) is now the Beachcomber Restaurant. My grandparents lived and spent summers here, and my dad was also raised here. There is no place in the world with more memories or history for my family, and every photo I capture here is special to me.

3. An Uncertain Future—One of my favorite moments with grizzly bears from the summer of 2024 was with these two bears, their third sibling, and their mom (in the second image). These cubs are yearlings born in the spring of 2023 and will remain with their mom until early summer 2025, when she will send them off on their own. This is the post I wrote for the top image and why it is titled as it is. As conservation photographers, we are literally having to fight daily to protect the species we love.

“Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery” ― Lois Crisler I have spent a lot of time the last few weeks heading into the new year thinking about my art and why I spend so much time in wild places. It is where I feel at home and find true peace and joy. It is why I fell in love with wildlife and nature photography; it is who I am. As we begin 2025, I am committing to increase my efforts to use my photography, writing, and energy toward fighting to protect our public lands and endangered and threatened species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. I will also work anywhere else I can as we, conservationists, face the new administration’s stance on our environment. We may lose protection through the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), among others.

As I process this, I constantly think about grizzly bears and all that has gone into creating a viable population in and around Yellowstone over the last 50 years. These bears have been protected, and hunting them is illegal as they are designated threatened species by the ESA. They have also continued to have this protection thanks to NEPA, which requires federal agencies to use the best available science to assess the environmental impact of proposed actions. This has protected grizzly bear management from being turned over to the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, who all want trophy hunting. There is a good chance their protection changes in the next couple of years, and if so, grizzlies who don’t know invisible national park boundaries and have been protected for 50 years could cross that line and be immediately hunted for trophies. Grizzly bears are my favorite species, and I love nothing more than watching them in their natural habitat and photographing them. Cubs are always such a bonus as they are so playful and incredible to watch as they interact with each other and their mom. I spent an incredible two hours with a sow grizzly and her three yearling cubs in early June 2024 in the northwest corner of Yellowstone. It was an experience I will never forget, and I will do all I can to protect them.

4. Thermal Rings – an image of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone captured from the overlook that gives you incredible views over the entire geyser basin. I loved the shapes that were so clear from the edges of the water from above.

5. Northern Radiance – I had never experienced the Northern Lights anywhere…to see them in Colorado twice in 2024 was absolutely incredible. I was able to capture them in May and October of 2024. On this evening, I drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park and captured some images but it was somewhat cloudy there, so I came back home. I headed to a little lake less than five minutes from my house and captured this.

6. Ghost Flowers – I love spending time playing with long exposure and intentional camera movement and captured this image in Rocky Mountain National Park in the middle of the afternoon. I used a 10-stop filter and during bright sunlight was able to capture movement and color.

7. Round Up – I take thousands of photos of elk each fall in Rocky Mountain National Park during the mating season known as the rut. I was busy photographing a bull elk and his harem right in front of me when I turned to check on the herd a mile away in the valley where the largest elk (known as Atlas) had been all day. He had just gotten up from a nap and was in the process of gathering his harem. I loved the way they lined up with him bulging and chasing them from behind.

8. Fractal Forms – an image captured with a telephoto lens of a scene that caught my eye as I was driving up a canyon to our local mountains. It was late summer, but there was a dense fog and ice-like frost on all the pine trees.

9. Intricate Design – I spent a rainy night with four pelicans on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park in early June. It was cold and cloudy, and only one other photographer was out as it lightly rained. I watched these pelicans for over an hour as they played below the Jackson Lake Dam in the rapids at the start of the river. I love this close-up image that shows the beauty and design in the head and body feathers.

1o. Thermal Remains – A tree destroyed by hydrothermal activity in the middle of the Mud Volcano area in Yellowstone National Park. The steam constantly rises from the mud surrounding this tree and envelopes it in clouds of white.

11. First Tidepools—This is another photo from the beach where I grew up. This was a private beach when I was growing up, and we had a lot of freedom as kids to play and explore here. We had a cottage here, and during the day, our family and friends would all set up on the beach below our small cottage. As kids, we could always go to the “first tidepools” alone without adults because our parents could watch us from their chairs on the beach. This is that area where we would play for hours every day. As you continue down the beach, there are the second tidepools and more as you keep going, and those we needed adults with us to explore.

12. Sand Patterns I and II– Another image captured on the Oregon Coast over summer 2024. I have never seen so many various patterns of sand as I did in Oregon. The beaches of California and Hawaii that I photograph more don’t have these incredible patterns. I spent about half an hour focused on the patterns during low tide.

13. Grand Light – A photo captured on a very stormy early summer night where the clouds overtook the mountains for most of the evening. I headed back to my campground and right as I was pulling in, the clouds started to lift briefly. I drove past the campground down to Jackson Lake, grabbed my camera and ran onto the beach to photograph the Grand right as the clouds parted and the soft sunset light hit the peak.

14. Atlas – one black and white image from 2024 of my favorite elk this past fall. He is known as Atlas and was the largest bull in Rocky Mountain National Park this past fall. I spent as much time as possible with the large bull and was fortunate to capture him swimming across a large pond to chase another bull elk away. The water color was somewhat offputting, and I decided to edit this one in black and white and am very happy with how it turned out.

Conservation of the GYE

I wrote an article last year for Nature Vision Magazine, the magazine of the Nature Photographers Network. The article is paywalled for all members of this incredible photography organization, but I am able to share a few screenshots from the article. There is nothing in photography I am more passionate about than protecting the wild places and species that I love. I will be sharing more about this as we enter a new era under the second Trump administration. The fight hasn’t been this tough in decades, but we will continue to do whatever we can to support our public lands and endangered and threatened wildlife. I spend a lot of my time in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), and continue to pour resources and time into protecting this perfectly intact ecosystem under threat. Here are a few of the screenshots from my article. You can find Nature Photographers Network here.

TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS NETWORK ABOVE

It’s All About the Art

You really have to stick with me on this one to see that it is all about the art. But honestly, this is my memory of capturing some of my favorite hydrothermal images. I was in Yellowstone in late spring/early summer of 2022 and had just arrived at the trailhead for the Grand Prismatic Overlook near this geyser basin area. When I got to the trail to hike up to where you can see the entire spring, there was a ranger there turning people around because a sow grizzly and her two tiny cubs were just spotted crossing the trail. I was so bummed that I couldn’t hike and take photos as planned, but headed back to my car to eat a late lunch in the car. It was already looking a bit stormy when I arrived, but by the time I finished eating, a huge storm was coming in. The wind was 30-40 mph. I drive an old Suburban on my photography trips as it is set it up with a queen size mattress and this is how I live for a week at a time on my solo trips. The car is older – it has keys…not fobs. I jumped out to get my jacket and the door slammed shut on me. I did not have proper clothing for the weather, bear spray was now locked in the car and no phone (not the phone would have mattered because there is no service there).

While this is happening, everyone else is running to their cars and leaving because the rain has started and lightning is coming in. By the time I walked back to the trail hoping a ranger was still there (but wasn’t) and made it back to my car, almost all cars were gone from the lot. I was alone with a huge storm and grizzly bears somewhere nearby. This was one time I actually didn’t want to see grizzlies. My only brilliant ideas were 1) crawl under the suburban to avoid the incoming hail and lightning or 2) throw rocks at the side window to break in my car. I went and got a couple large rocks and then thought, “How am I going to camp with a huge broken window?” (not that I could have even broken it – apparently it is harder than it seems) As the rain started coming down, I walked to the main road and waited for a ranger to drive by. There was no point in stopping cars to help me because there is no cell coverage and no one could make a call for me. A little while later, I flagged down a ranger who radioed me a locksmith. Fortunately, the rain came and went so it wasn’t horrible the whole time. About 30 minutes later the guy shows up and starts to work on my car, but he cannot get it open. By this point I am soaking wet (as is the locksmith) and he is so frustrated with my car. Next, it starts hailing so he has me sit in his truck for ANOTHER 40 minutes! He could not get it open and I had to sit there and watch him get pelted by hail for about ten minutes and then more rain. Finally, he used air pressure to pull the door out far enough and uses a long hook thing to retrieve my keys (this worked on about the 5th or 6th try). I am forever grateful, pretty humiliated, and soaked to the bone. It stopped raining and the skies start to clear as I sat in his truck paying him a decent chunk of money. As he drove off, all the plans I had for leaving and heading back to camp faded as I watched the soft light forming as the evening sun started to peak out behind storm clouds. I quickly grabbed my jacket and camera gear and headed out. I spent the next couple of hours here and got lost in photography.

The anxiety, stress and embarrassment of my recent situation was already slipping away as I captured images I knew instantly that I was in love with, as it was one of the most beautiful evenings I have had in the park. I left in time to catch the sunset over Lake Yellowstone, thankful for the crazy timing that ended up giving me the best conditions for photos that day. Sometimes our stories are adventerous or beautiful and we can share about the tranquility and peace of the day, or the intense hiking we had to do. Sometimes the story is something random, but that we will never forget. The ranger and the locksmith both did tell me this happens all day long in Yellowstone – so at least I am not the only one to let something so foolish happen.

Three of these images are in my Hydrothermal Series coming January 18, 2024.

The Art of Photography

I read a great Twitter thread this weekend on the digital art space, collecting and so much more. I couldn’t stop thinking about it as the collector shared about his own love of art and acquiring an Andy Warhol Campbell’s Soup Can. It led me down a path for hours thinking about photography, the first significant piece we purchased for our home, and why I am so passionate about this art form.

After reading this post, I wanted to share my views regarding a piece of photography we collected that has been a part of our lives for almost 20 years now, and that expresses the value of photography as an art form to me. I am a nature photographer with a life-long passion for wildlife and conservation. I found a Thomas D. Mangelsen gallery in Park City, Utah, in the 1990s and instantly fell in love with his work. We purchased his work through calendars, photo cards, and posters and eventually bought our first two large signed, matted and framed pieces by Tom from his gallery in 2005. While they don’t compare to a Warhol, they were a large investment for us as we paid over $8,000 for the two pieces while also buying a home and raising two young boys. The larger of the two photographs, “Glacier Travellers,” has been a mainstay in our home for two decades. It is an Alaskan landscape image with mountains, a coastal inlet, wildflowers, a sow grizzly bear and her three cubs wandering by. To me, it is perfect. Tom captures stormy skies, incredible soft light, color, and a scene that I want to visit and witness every single day. A good photographer has to capture light perfectly, with the right conditions and the scene they envision all at the same time. It can take weeks or years to capture an image that we have been trying for. When we bought this piece, I had not seen a grizzly bear in the wild. It would only be a month later that we would watch a sow grizzly bear with her own three tiny cubs in Yellowstone National Park for the first time. It was magical – it was as if the photograph that just became part of our home came to life in front of my eyes. It was what I dreamed of.

While art is very personal and comes in so many forms, the thing with photography for me (I am not discussing composites here) is that one can view the image and immediately know that it is possible to see a scene very close to what they are looking at, somewhere in the world, whether they ever choose to or not. It is real in such a pure sense and as we get pulled into a photo, we dream about what it would be like for us to get to witness this scene. There is a true possibility that you don’t have with many other art forms.

I believe this is an incredibly unique aspect to the art of photography and hope that it becomes more and more appreciated as digital art continues to grow. Whether it is a street shot where a photographer captured an intimate moment between two people, a drone shot giving vantage points that we can’t see in a certain location, a portrait capturing a person in a moment in time, or an image from nature – the images pull us into something that is real. Something that we can hope in and dream about. I look at the large, framed photo, signed by my favorite wildlife and conservation photographer, every day. Every day for 20 years it has brought me joy and peace in knowing that places and scenes like this are real and can be experienced. When you collect photography, you are getting more than a piece of art. You are getting a glimpse and a story of real life – a true experience that happened between the photographer and a moment in time. It is real and that is something we are losing more and more each year as technology advances at a rapid speed. I hope that more and more people see the value in this art form as we continue to see advancements in all forms of art.

“Glacier Travellers” above our couch in two different homes for almost 20 years.

Labor of Love

On Easter morning, April 17, 2022, I woke up to photos of 399 and her cubs coming out of hibernation from my wildlife photography friends in the Tetons. We had plans that day and I had a busy week ahead of me, but around 8 p.m. that night, I decided that I had to go try and find her and the cubs – immediately. I wanted to get there before the crowds showed up so that I had a chance to see her with less people around and while she still had all four cubs with her. I packed up my car and left less than twelve hours later to try and capture this incredible family in the early spring season. She will soon leave her cubs to start their lives on their own, and photo opportunities will be gone forever. I had only seen the family twice before and not from a distance that I could capture any decent images.

Grizzly bears are my favorite animal and my first choice for photography on any given day. They have also been my most frustrating aspect of photography as capturing them is never easy, and I feel like I am often five minutes late to every opportunity. It is also difficult because I live eight hours from the nearest grizzlies and I have another job in addition to photography so I can only travel to the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem about four times a year. I worked so hard to capture this moment and finally, on this day, it paid off. I have been following this well-known grizzly bear for over a decade. I have seen her over the years, but only as a hump in thick foliage or a rump up on a mountainside.

When she came out of hibernation two years ago with a litter of quadruplets, I was determined to capture this majestic bear with her family. I started trying the summer they were born. Two years later, after six trips to Grand Teton National Park, lodging and camping costs, over 6,500 miles on my car – it all came together for about three minutes with famous grizzly sow #399 and her four adult cubs. The moment happened so fast as they appeared out of the trees, heading straight for the few of us that had parked in a small lot where someone had told us she might be headed. It was cloudy, 7:20 p.m. and the light wasn’t great. I only had time to get out of the car and grab my camera with the 400mm/f2.8 heavy lens to take the shot. There was no time for a tripod and the shot is a little softer than I would have liked, but I captured this moment (cover image) that will be burned in my memory for the rest of my life. It may forever be my most magical and favorite photography experience.

399 with three of her four cubs, there is one that always goes his own way…

The bears came toward us and then turned slightly and continued on into the aspen trees. We had a few more minutes with them as the cubs played in the cover of the trees. One of the cubs was running around with a giant branch in its mouth while two other cubs chased it and they made the most adorable grizzly cub sounds ever as they played. It was difficult to get a clean shot, so I put my camera down and just enjoyed watching this family as they played together. It was a dream come true and an absolute labor of love to capture these photos. It made up for the two times I saw them from a distance, had other photographers show me their shots, and sat in my car and cried because I wanted this experience so badly. It may sound crazy to care so much about a certain photo you want to capture – the truth is that the photo is only the outcome that you get to keep forever. The experience of witnessing such an incredible scene in nature and having the memories of the sights, sounds and smells of the event are what make up the full experience for me. Even if I did not have a camera, I would choose to sit anywhere in nature where I could watch these bears.

By the time she took the cubs through the trees and onto one of the park roads, more cars showed up and people were blocking the bears in and getting dangerously close to the bears (as you can see in a photo below). I will not photograph bears when this human behavior is happening, as I want no part of it. I left the scene as crowds started to arrive and took one shot of the mayhem from a safe distance. This behavior puts all bears at risk because if they were to harm a human that walked up to them, the bear would be the one pay for it…

and there he is, at the back of the family

You can see in the photos that two of the four cubs are collared. They were collared in the fall of 2021 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) to monitor their whereabouts as the family of bears started getting into beehives, livestock feed and even some trash around the Jackson Hole area when they left the park and headed south after their first year. It is an incredibly difficult task for this mother bear to keep herself and four growing cubs fed throughout the seasons, both before and after hibernation. Fortunately for this family, Grizzly 399 has become an ambassador for the park and so well-known that wildlife agencies must do their best to keep them safe. While grizzly bears are on the Endangered Species List under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the lower 48 states, there are many ranchers and hunters in Wyoming who would prefer to see them gone. These wild animals don’t have a voice, and we need to be their voice. It is imperative that the park and wildlife regulatory agencies work to protect these bears, and her famous status after 26 years in the park is helping that happen. As the cubs venture out on their own, we as wildlife photographers, play a key role in voicing our concern, creating and signing petitions and writing representatives to do all we can to protect these cubs we have come to love. We will continue to be their voice. Three years ago, I spent two days photographing 399’s daughter (610) with her two cubs. When they were left by mom at the appropriate age, they traveled south into the Jackson area over the following months and both bears were euthanized for finding trash,bird seed, compost, etc. They showed no signs of aggression and didn’t do anything wrong. Humans need to take more responsibility living in grizzly country. I am praying this doesn’t happen to these four cubs and we will continue to fight for their safety as they venture out on their own. If you ever get to watch grizzly bears, please stay at least 100 yards away from them, have bear spray ready and give them open paths to cross roads and trails.

*the morning after I wrote this blog, I found out 399 kicked the cubs out on the day I wrote this- most likely to protect them because a large boar wouldn’t leave her alone. We will see what happens next as they all go their separate ways.

PLEASE PLEASE DON’T EVER DO THIS – PUTS THE BEARS’ LIVES AS WELL AS YOUR OWN IN DANGER

Photo I purchased from my friend Daniel Lindhardt, after I got my own photos so I could have them both on the wall of my shed office together.

Fight For Our Wolves Now, Response to Idaho SB1211

“Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species that we will never know — that our children will never see because they have been lost forever. The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.”
– Pope Francis

Are you aware of the most recent attack on our wolves? Both the Idaho State Senate and House have passed SB1211 and it is now waiting for Governor Brad Little to pass or veto the bill. The bill would allow for killing up to 90% of the state’s wolves (reducing them from approximately 1,500 wolves to only 150) and would reallocate $190,000 more taxpayer dollars to the Idaho Wolf Control fund to pay for contract killing of wolves. If this bill passes, there will be no limit on wolf tags and they can be killed by aerial gunning, snaring/trapping, and running them over by ATV/snowmobile. These are incredibly inhumane ways of killing and once again confirm how little the states are prepared to manage their own wolf populations. We have seen similar laws and attempts in Wyoming and Montana and now across the upper midwest since wolves were delisted from the Endangered Species Act in late October, 2020 by the Trump Administration. Please see the steps below the photo that you can take to make a difference before it is too late in Idaho.

“In Wisconsin, a 2012 state law requires an annual wolf hunt when the animals are not under federal protection. State wildlife officials had begun planning for a hunt next November, but were forced by a lawsuit from an out-of-state hunting group to hold one before the end of February. That hunt lasted only three days before state officials shut it down: Licensed hunters killed 216 wolves in that time, more than 80 percent over the allowed quota of 119, and nearly 20 percent of the state’s estimated 1,000-plus wolves.” – from MPRnews.org . In Wyoming, wolves are now classified as “Shoot-on-site-varmin” and can be killed any day of the year, without permits on over 85% of the state land. This is happening from CA, OR and WA to states like WI and MN. We are losing our wolves once again, and our voices are the only voice these magnificent creatures have.

I read two articles recently and saw photos about one of the packs in Yellowstone where the wolf pups keep moving the orange cones from the side of the road and are seen running around and playing with them like dogs do with their toys. Each morning when the rangers show up, they happily move the cones back to their designated spots after the wolves have their fun. These animals are so playful, intelligent and have strong family bonds within their packs. They are not a danger to humans and there are many simple practices that responsible ranchers have used to keep wolves away. One is called “fladry” and it is the use of colorful flags around herds of animals and the wolves leave the area completely alone. There is no part of me that understands this hatred and desire to kill them in such inhumane ways. Please help us protect them now.

Yellowstone wolf #778, known as “Big Brown” and the last of the Druid wolves – was killed when he moved outside park boundaries in 2016. He managed to survive a couple years in a pack outside the park in Jardine, near Gardiner, before being shot and killed. Photo by Brynn Alise Schmidt

The first thing you can do is call the Governor’s office and leave a message opposing this bill and asking that he veto it. The phone number For Governor Brad Little is 208-334-2100. Then, follow it up with an email to governor@gov.idaho.gov – Please read the talking points below and refer to them in your calls and emails. The following bulleted list is from https://projectcoyote.salsalabs.org/actionalertidsb1211.

If you are from or currently live in Idaho, state your town. If you don’t have connections to Idaho, explain why you will not spend your tourism dollars in a state like Idaho that wantonly slaughters wildlife.
Over 76% of Idahoans believe wildlife belongs to all citizens and that management decisions should be made without political influence by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission – whose members oppose this bill 5-2.
Taking authority away from the Commission and the agency biologists that inform them is not science-based management and sets a dangerous precedent for the management of other wildlife.
Wolves cause less than 1% of cattle deaths and any depredation can be properly managed without this bill.
Killing wolves at this rate will only support decisions to relist them with Endangered Species Act protections.
Wolves alive and thriving bring value to Idaho in many forms, including ecosystem services and tourism dollars.
The majority of Idahoans and Americans support wolf recovery at levels where wolves can fulfill their ecological functions. Almost no one supports wasting tax dollars to recover wolves, just to exterminate them again.

Next, please sign the Change.org petition at https://www.change.org/p/brad-little-stop-the-idaho-wolf-cull-sb1211 as well.

Lastly, there are awesome organizations you can give to financially. Here are a few I recommend:

Wolves of the Rockies

Center for Biological Diversity

Endangered Species Coalition

Advocates for the West

Western Environmental Law Center

We must act now to influence Governor Little’s action – let’s get him to VETO this bill! Thank you for your help in protecting these amazing animals.

Cover photo by Raphael Rivest, Shutterstock

How Do We Save the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?

“What’s absent, I mentioned to the students, is a chronicle of the seasonal migrations and movements of several other species, as in: bison, mule deer, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, and wolverines. All of these animals migrate, too, and they need spaces and habitat not fragmented or overrun by humans in order to keep doing it. Grizzlies and wolves peregrinate too, as do bald eagles, peregrine falcons, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, bobcats, lynx, and wild neotropical songbirds. Greater Yellowstone is a vast remnant symphony of wildlife whose movements are like the melody articulated by notes scrawled across a beautiful, complicated, harmonious masterpiece of sheet music.

This is the reason why Greater Yellowstone warrants rough comparison to the other great wild ecosystem, the Serengeti, in East Africa. This is our still living, breathing version of that. Other regions can only dream of bringing back species that have been lost and some will spend millions of dollars trying to recover them and never succeed. Greater Yellowstone is the only one of its kind on the planet and it is every bit as valuable a national treasure as anything else in this country. Yet by neglect, indifference, lack of mass awareness of what we have right before our eyes—and add to that a fragmented way of thinking about it—we are losing this place.” – Todd Wilkinson, Mountain Journal

The incredible growth and development happening around Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the surrounding wilderness are astounding. Our family has been traveling to these national parks for the last 17 years regularly and we have seen it happening with our own eyes. We have spent weeks in winter there in the past where hardly anyone is around and now the park sees more and more people each winter, and our quiet places of solitude are getting more crowded as others discover the beauty of winter in Yellowstone. Summers are insane and it is hard to even maneuver through the park between breakfast and dinner hours. We rarely visit during the summer months anymore. Mountain Journal has published some incredible articles and pieces on what is happening in the parks and the growing cities and areas surrounding this ecosystem such as Bozeman, MT, Jackson, WY, and the Teton Valley, ID region. The threats that this rapid population growth brings to this larger ecosystem are astonishing. The purpose of this post is to mainly highlight what Mountain Journal is doing, so please see the articles I linked to at the end of this post. I would also encourage anyone who cares about, travels and/or photographs in these parks to please consider donating to this amazing non-profit organization. It is the only one I have found that is keeping us very informed of the urbanization and growth surrounding these still-pristine parks.

Bison in a February blizzard and -27 degrees

While protecting species within park boundaries is critical, one of the things we don’t hear as much about is the importance of wildlife corridors. Wildlife corridors are those open areas or small parcels of natural habitats that connect the larger ecosystems where our wildlife live. They provide a way through more developed areas and roads and highways for the animals to migrate through. Sometimes this is for migration from their winter grounds to summer locations, and for predators, it allows them to circulate and find their own territories with connection to their species for breeding as well. This is just my definition and I am sure there are much better ones if you would like to research more. Wildlife Corridors allow for wildlife to move from place to place and not get trapped in one wilderness area surrounded by growth and development.

Back in the day when I worked for environmental organizations, we focused on this issue quite a bit as we worked on how to allow for development while providing protection and corridors for endangered species in southern California. This issue has remained a very important one for me and when I read more about the migration paths and need to protect remaining corridors, I knew I wanted to share about it. Rather than trying to summarize all that I have read, please check out these article by Todd Wilkerson, founder of Mountain Journal, for everything related to the issues of wildlife corridors, crowding and development in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and how to save this “American Serengeti” that so many of us cherish. Let’s all educate ourselves more and determine how we can be a part of the solution in saving these incredible lands.

What’s Our Role in Saving Greater Yellowstone

Waiting For Elk To Disappear From ‘The Last Hundred Acres’

Unnatural Disaster: Will America’s Most Iconic Wild Ecosystem Be Lost To A Tidal Wave of People?

Bison in northern Yellowstone in a winter blizzard with -27 degrees temperature

A well-known sow grizzly in Yellowstone

Yellowstone Wolf Known as Big Brown, one of the last of the Druid pack

Trumpeter Swan on Lake Yellowstone

Bison trudging trough over a foot of fresh snow on a February morning

Know Before You Go

February is a time of year that many of us plan for summer. I know this is true for our family as we book campsites in national parks and start to plan for activities at our destination. This month, we are focusing on planning for your vacation and holiday travel with Nature First in mind. This article centers around the Nature First principle – Educate yourself about the places you photograph. We have found there are many benefits both personally as well as for nature when we plan ahead.

““We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” – Aldo Leopold

Why we should prepare for travel and nature photography?

Knowledge and education increases preservation. Each area we visit has unique features that require different levels of care and attention. By planning ahead, we start our travel equipped with information about the environments we visit. For example, the delicate alpine tundra should not be stepped on and we should stay on trails to not crush the fragile plant life. Along some coastlines, sand dunes should not walked on because it loosens the vegetation and damage the dunes that protects land from the ocean. If we visit a tropical location, we can learn ahead of time not to touch coral reefs and that we should only use certain sunscreens that don’t leave coral-destroying residue in the water. With a bit of education, we come prepared to our reduce impact on our natural world.

There are also a lot of personal benefits for us when we plan ahead. A few ways that some planning can help with your vacation/holiday include:

Better use of your time on holiday/vacation
Plan around crowds and avoid traffic, long lines, etc.
Enhance your overall travel experience
For busy destinations, set expectations so you aren’t disappointed
Provide for flexibility – plan for dealing with changing weather conditions and pack accordingly
Road/trail closures

How to prepare and do research ahead of time

Research the areas you will be in – protected areas, national parks and monuments, private land conservation areas, World Heritage sites, etc.
Contact parks or protected areas for information on reducing impact. Many of the places we travel to have very detailed and helpful information on their website.
Educate yourself about the type of environments you will visit – environmentally sensitive areas such as alpine tundra, fragile coastline or wetland, geothermal areas and features – how can you make sure you don’t add negative impact?
Call ahead and talk to rangers and protected area management – learn how to be responsible photographers in your travels . If you cannot talk to someone ahead of time, stop by the headquarters and visitor centers when you arrive.
Determine if permits are needed for parks, parking, camping etc. For example, a popular spot in the state of Colorado is Hanging Lake. However, you cannot hike to this lake without using a shuttle service and having a permit. They sell out fast in summer. With Covid, some national parks had, and may again have, permit systems for entering. Different places around the globe will have different permitting systems in place to protect nature and lessen crowds.
Consider traveling in off-season for better rates and less crowds and impact. We all know how effective this is when traveling in a busy European city. The same it true for the mountains, forests and seashores around the world.
Don’t just follow the crowd – research new and different places for photography instead of taking the same shot that everyone else has – be unique and create your own memories.
Look into volunteer opportunities to give back to places you visit – you can do this on your trip or before/after travel in some situations as well.

Hanging Lake, Colorado - only accessible with permit and use of shuttle system since 2019 — *Hanging Lake, Colorado – only accessible with permit and use of shuttle system since 2019*

*Unique take on Grand Prismatic Hot Springs area in Yellowstone*

Resources to help with planning

Global Sustainable Tourism Council – https://www.gstcouncil.org/
Bee Hive- nature focused hotels and bookings – encourage the protection and love of nature – http://beeplushive.com/
Local guidebooks
The Photographers Ephemeris (TPE)
Visit national park headquarters or protected area websites and visitor centers. They will have the best idea of the current problems that are happening in their area and how it can be avoided, or how you can make a difference
Environmental organizations in community or area

Make informed and environmentally friendly decisions once at your destination

Use your new knowledge to pick photography locations where you can leave no trace
If there is wildlife where you are going, keep recommended and legal distances at least

Create less impact on environmentally sensitive areas
Purchase locally sourced food and souvenirs when possible
Learn about the history/culture and natural significance of new places
Act like the destination is your home – bring reusable bags and your own water bottles to refill, don’t ask for new towels/sheets every day, etc

We believe this preparation can help all of us have a better experience and protect nature. I personally have found that we get a lot more out of our vacations when we choose to know about places before we go. It has helped prepare our expectations at crowded parks, led to new and unique photography experiences, hikes and beaches and even to new relationships and experiences we would not have found if planning wasn’t involved. One of our family’s favorite experiences was volunteering in a native plant nursery at Glacier National Park when our boys were young. A couple of my favorite photographs come from beaches and mountain areas that were far from the crowds, providing us with unique opportunities and experiences. We hope that you are inspired to think before you travel this summer.

written by Brynn Schmidt, staff member for Nature First

Are We Insta-Destroying Our Wild Places? The Importance of Conservation

Our national parks and public lands are suffering from reduced funding and a huge influx in traffic. Those of us who spend time in our national parks and nature in general need to advocate and learn to protect it for future generations. Learning more about conservation and practicing it is more important than ever – especially for those of us on social media.

I recently read a couple articles on this same subject, one was called “Is Social Media the End of Landscape Photograpy?” by Christian Hoiberg. The article discusses what our social media use, especially Instagram, is doing to our public lands. I highly recommend reading this article. It scared the crap out of me to be honest and has me evaluating my own social media behaviors. One statistic they shared in this article is that Horseshoe Bend a few years ago only saw a few thousand visitors a year. Last year they recorded over 1.5 million visitors. Areas like this that have become “the shot” for the Instagram community are not able to handle the amount of visitors.

The good news is we can still change things and I think part of that is providing more people with a conservation mind-set. The only way we can all work toward saving these places is by learning more about conservation and thinking about why we are going to the areas we want to see. If it is for adventure, travel and a place you think you would love, by all means, take a trip there. If it is a one-stop on your social media tour of attractions, think twice about going. If we continue to make it about the “likes” on Instagram, we are going to destroy our wilderness. Don’t get me wrong, I am on Instagram and Facebook and love to post photos from our trips. But, one of the things the article above suggests is to find new and unique places to visit and photograph and I am always trying to do that. Shouldn’t that be part of our journey anyway? I always love finding a new location to shoot where there is no one else around.

Below is one of my favorite spots in our local mountains, I am always the only one here – that is what I love most.

“Climbing Everest is the ultimate and the opposite of that. Because you get these high powered plastic surgeons and CEO’s, they pay $80,000 and have sherpas put the ladders in place and 8000 feet of fixed ropes and you get to the camp and you don’t even have to lay out your sleeping bag. It’s already laid out with a chocolate mint on the top. The whole purpose of planning something like Everest is to effect some sort of spiritual and physical gain and if you compromise the process, you’re an asshole when you start out and you’re an asshole when you get back.” – Yvon Chouinard, 180 South

This is one of my favorite quotes from Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. It has always stuck with me because of the truth to it – if you don’t choose to learn and grow from experiences, you stay the same – and we find these same type of people in varying levels throughout some of our adventures and wilderness experiences (for example, the guy blasting music on his hike adding to your experience, only not in a wanted way). We have a choice to be better people and stewards of the land and grow from our experiences or to use and abuse our lands as a selfish act until we no longer have them.

I honestly believe it should be part of the adventure/explorer culture to have a basic background in conservation. As I read article after article on the hoards of people traveling to our national parks and wild places and the increase in travel due to social media, I am getting pretty bummed out. I majored in environmental studies and worked at an environmental law firm and for the County of Orange, CA Environmental Management Agency. So, I realize that the knowledge I have going back a lot of years is an advantage that many explorers and travelers don’t start out with. I still think there are ways to change this for people and one big one is education – picking up a book. That way we can work toward protecting the places we love most in nature. If you aren’t a reader, just pick one or two or listen on an audiobook. I have listed suggestions at the end of this story. The more we allow ourselves to learn, the more we grow into better people for our environment and the other people we interact with in nature.

The other article I read was basically about visiting an awesome spot in Mexico before it becomes “insta-ruined.” It had me thinking all week about, “What if everyone just knew more about conservation and even cared a little bit?” It is all of our responsibility to do this – especially those of us on social media. We have to set examples for others to witness and learn from. So, please, I beg you to follow park rules and Leave No Trace principles, visit the places for the shots you want but consider looking for more unique shots that don’t always tread on the same land. Consider learning just a little bit about conservation if it is a newer concept to you. I am currently evaluating my own behavior in the highly traveled areas as I am guilty of going to these spots as well.

Let me add a disclaimer here: I know so many of you reading this story already protect our lands and are activists and environmentalists and care deeply about protecting our lands. Awesome! Keep it up and educate others. I realized when I read this article though that I still need to be sure I am doing the right thing and treading lightly on our land – I think we can always use the reminder.

Here are 10 books I definitely recommend:

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson – book that pretty much started the environmental movement,
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold – foundational book written in 1948 about conservation, policy and ethics
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey – his memoir as a park ranger in Arches National Park
Essential Muir – Selection of Essays – California Legacy Books – because, it’s John Muir
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner – the one book you should read on western water crisis
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard -because Patagonia and an awesome founder who cares deeply about the environment as a “reluctant businessman”
Decade of the Wolf, Douglas Smith and Gary Ferguson – an account of the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone by the scientists who were key to the success story
180 Degrees South- Conquerers of the Useless by Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Chris Malloy and Jeff Johnson – photo essay book based on the film with great behind-the-scenes look at film
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer – only because there are positive & negatives to learn here
Tools for Grassroots Activists by Nora Gallagher and Lisa Myers – great starter kit for becoming an activist

Recommendations for a winter trip to Yellowstone

There is so much to do in Yellowstone in winter and early spring. If you haven’t experienced this park in winter, you are definitely missing out. From cross-country skiing to the boiling river to snow coach tours and more – and with very low crowds. Check out these recommendations for a week in Yellowstone in my favorite season there, winter.

A lot of us have been to Yellowstone. For many of us it brings up thoughts of summer crowds, traffic, animal jams, long lines and too many people. The insane scenery, wildlife and hiking/camping opportunities make it so worth it though. Now take that scenery and wildlife (except for grizzlies during most of this time), add some very cold temperatures, snow and about 99% less people, and you have my favorite season in the park.

We have been traveling to Yellowstone in winter for about the past 8 years. It is our favorite time to go mainly because of the reduced crowds. Imagine walking on the boardwalk at Mammoth Hot Springs and being the only ones there. Or skiing the terraces above and passing maybe 10 people.

It is incredible. Add in winter adventure activities, abundant ski trails and the best wolf watching of the year and it can’t be beat. Never mind that we have had a couple winters where temps have ranged from 0 to -29 in the park. Somehow that actually adds to the experience for me. We just don’t ski or snowshoe on the -29 days. We save that for days that are at least -5 or warmer. Same goes for the boiling river since you have to walk back to your car soaking wet. During winter, temperatures can be fairly warm (30s, 40s) or drop really low. I have skied in Lamar Valley in a t-shirt one year and then worn everything I own on another day. Just plan ahead and bring tons of warm clothing.

The following are some ideas and recommendations for a week in Yellowstone in winter. These all are based on staying at the north entrance of the park. Either in Gardiner or Mammoth Hot Springs. While camping is actually available year round at Mammoth, I don’t recommend it unless you are way tougher than us or have a heater in the vehicle you sleep in. If you are a lover of freezing cold, winter camping – then totally go for it. Not my thing. The main season for winter is mid-December through early to mid-March. That is for lodges, snow coaches and restaurants. This part of the park is open year round and visiting through April feels like winter usually.

Ski/Snowshoe at Mammoth Terraces or Tower Road Area

Spend part of day walking around the lower terraces on the board walk and enjoy the hot springs and views – we usually have the board walk to ourselves. Then, drive up the road to the top of the Terraces and park at the top boardwalk area. From here, get out the skis or snowshoes and do an easy and really scenic 1.5 mile loop around the Upper Terraces. If skiing, there is one hill that is considered more difficult. For more details, visit Yellowstone Terrace Loop.

Another trail we love is what is actually Tower Road in the summer. In winter, the road is closed and only bison and elk use it. You can park near Roosevelt Lodge or right at the entrance to the closed road if there is room there to park. This is a bit of a popular spot on weekends. It still doesn’t have much traffic though. It is a 5 mile easy trail with beautiful views and ending at the falls. Bison frequent this area and sometimes we have to create our own path around them to keep the 25-yard distance required. The photo below shows us doing just that. Often, the bison just lie right on the road or paths. Check out more info at Tower Ski Trails. Also, check out this page on Yellowstone for more trails right in this area.

Photograph Wildlife

For more detailed information on wildlife photography in my favorite area, check out my Outbound adventure Photograph Wildlife in Lamar Valley. However, there is wildlife throughout the park on the road you can use from Gardiner all the way to Silver Gate at the northeast entrance. It is fairly easy to find bison, coyotes, bighorn, eagles, sometime fox and otters and even wolves. Grizzly boars come out in March, so be prepared and carry bear spray if you are there later in winter. Please be very careful of bison on the road. They are literally doing everything they can to just survive winter and often use roads instead of trudging through deep snow. Don’t make them run as it takes an incredible amount of their energy. Let them have the road and go very slowly to nudge them off the road if you must. Please respect the wildlife and how difficult it is to survive winter in Yellowstone.

Take a dip at the Boiling River

Just a couple miles inside the main entrance at Gardiner, MT, you will find the Boiling River. This is one of the only places you can take a soak in the park area. It is a .5 mile walk to the river opening where you can soak. Again, so few people in winter compared to summer. Just be prepared to quickly dry off and put all your warm gear back on to rush back to your car. There are 2 parking lots at the river area. Check out Mammoth Hot Springs Area Highlights for details and rules on using the river. After a soak, head to the K-Bar in Gardiner for pizza and beer. It is one of the places we enjoy hanging out at. They don’t have a web page, so check out this link for Visit Gardiner.

Visit the Historic Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

Check out the hotel and famous map room with bar at the hotel. Have a fine-dining experience at the Dining Hall for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you want to go for dinner, you need to have reservations in winter. Breakfast is my favorite meal here.

Watch Wolves and Learn More About Their Behavior

Winter and early spring are the best times to view wolves. They are more active in the snow and with less people around. One day, we saw over 35 wolves from 4 different packs – in a single day! That was the best day we ever had. It is actually pretty easy to find where wolves might be – look for the groups of cars and people with scopes. Have patience and use a scope or binoculars to view them. It is unbelievable how many we have seen most winters.

Snow Coach Tours

These tours are available through Yellowstone National Park and should be booked way in advance. These do fill up quickly. I had one booked for this trip that we took a couple weeks ago, but the park closed due to 2 feet of snow and my tour was canceled. I was definitely bummed. You can take tours to Old Faithful, Yellowstone Falls area or Norris Geyser Basin. For more information check out Snowcoach Tours.

It is such a serene and peaceful time in the park. Here are a few more photos from this past trip we took: