My first time was just as magical as my last time last December to my favorite New Mexico Nat’l Wildlife Refuge, Bosque del Apache. In Nov ’85 I went to Bosque not prepared in any sense of the word for the experience. I definitely did not have warm enough clothing. I ran short of film (yeah, this was film days) the third of my fifth day there. And especially the visual and audible experience this very special piece of our wild heritage Bosque protects. Many ask, “Has it changed?” The answer is a resounding YES and I regret, not for the better. Water is the heart of Bosque and every year, there is less and with less water, so there are fewer birds. And people, they have increased in number and decreased in field ethics and craft. The combination has made the photography not even the same as the “good ‘ol days.” We are so fortunate to have the Refuge system that we do! We are still guests of nature though, we are entering their home and we’re not being the good guests we should be. Managers are having to “corral” us to protect this fragile and vanishing resource. I still say today what I’ve said since the first time to Bosque, it’s one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Everyone, everyone should it experience more than once!

I have been incredibly fortunate, and fortunate should be underlined, italicized and in bold, being able to enjoy, study, research and photograph in Alaska for the past four decades. I have seen things you can’t imagine and only able to photograph a small part of that. Like this morning, a wolf pack took a moose calf in the trees. Heard that calves pleads for life, saw the cow dash about for thirty minutes in misery, don’t have a single click of any of it. Then there are spectacles of our wild heritage I have been able to photograph and share with you all, like this amazing Kodiak Brown Bear mom and family! This past week though, I have had my worse fears confirmed, in part why I’m here this week, that photographers have done more damage then good with their cameras. I saw it happen in another locale fifteen years ago with coastal Griz and now with my Northern Cousins in the Chugash. I’ve been in this spot before, having a great place to sit, watch, relish in and photograph a critter only to loose it to the masses. In the past, I was able to find a place to replace it. That’s getting harder and harder to do because society as a whole has been wiping out paradise . It’s a hard reality for me to accept. But I’m back once again looking for greener pastures.