It is the time of the year that the Grey Whales are making their journey back north migrating some 6000 miles along America`s west coast from Baja California to the Bering Sea. The grey whale is one of the flagship species representing my “B2B – Freedom to Roam” project. They literally migrate the entire distance twice a year. It is the longest migration undertaken by any mammal on the planet. For me it was really important to document this migration story as part of the project.

Thousands of whales return to the lagoon systems of Baja California every year.  It is where the mating takes place and where pregnant Grey Whale mothers give birth to their calves. Over the past 2 years I spent several weeks in the different lagoons of Laguna Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio and Bahia Magdalena to get  a true insight into this part of the whale`s life. It is magical how the lagoons come to life with the whales.

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SPRING MIGRATION – HEADING NORTH

It is the time of the year now, that the whales are heading back north. Males start leaving the lagoons as early as February, followed by the females without calves in early March and eventually by the females with calves in late March and April. Traveling an average of 75 miles a day the journey back north takes them about 2 to 3 moths.

I had a “slight” change of plans and instead of staying in Baja California until May I am heading north to the Arctic myself. I am planning to photograph arctic wildlife, while the landscape is still frozen and the animals are shown in the arctic elements.

THE WINGED MIGRATION

I have been working on my second Freedom to Roam project ” B2B – The Wild Coast ” for a few years now. This spring I came back again to Baja California to photograph aspects of the massive migration that takes part along America`s West Coast. I was specifically interested in the different shore birds and waterfowl that rely upon a “daisy-chain” of wetlands on their migration to their nesting grounds up north in the high arctic. A lot of the habitats are in tidal zones along the coast. They are facing different pressures from encroaching development and the possibility of significant sea-level rise in the coming decades. For me the migrations symbolize the interconnectedness of the natural world like few other phenomenons.

In comparison to legged land mammals, birds have the incredible advantage of wings that lets them overcame huge distances of unsuitable habitat or developed landscapes. They however cannot master the enormous migrations without adequate reserves of energy. Migratory birds are dependent on important habitat that lets them consume large quantities of high energy food in a short period of time. It is therefore essential we set aside such important migratory bird sanctuaries that allows migratory birds to stop over in the course of their long migrations.

Migration hotspots can be found all along the west coast. One of the most famous locations for the Western Sandpipers is the Copper River Delta near Cordova, Alaska. Several million western Sandpipers make a stopover there before they continue their journey to the arctic.

By the hundreds of thousands members of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd fill valley after valley, Nikon D3x, 24-70mm f2.8

Barren Ground Grizzly wandering the edge of the Arctic Refuge. Nikon D3x, 600mm f4 VR lens

Far away from the centers of our civilization lies a land of wonder, where hundreds of thousands of caribou roam the plains, where myriads of birds migrate to rear their chicks and where the kingdoms of grizzly and polar bears meet. It is America’s vast Arctic, far removed from the rest of the world, but heavily affected by humankind.

Thousands of murres gather on pools on the ice awaiting the nesting season on the nearby cliffs; Nikon D3x, 70-200mm f2.8

A large lead opens in the Chuckchi Sea between Pt. Hope and Cape Lisburne; Nikon D3x, 24-70mm f2.8

For many years environmental organizations have fought for the protection of the Alaskan arctic, but as the energy crisis worsens, pressure is driving Congress to open this wilderness sanctuary to oil drilling and mining operations. As part of my Freedom to Roam project in connection with the Blue Earth Alliance and Braided River Books, I am  working to produce photographic material in support of the Arctic Conservation Campaign. With compelling imagery I hope we can reach Congress and the general public by showing a true portrait of a land often called a “barren wasteland”.

Sea ice landscape at the edge of the lead. Nikon D3x, 14-24mm f2.8

A polar bear roams the edge of the packice in the Chuckchi Sea. Nikon D300, 200-400mm f4 + TC/E 1.4

After spending many months on the ground amongst hundreds of thousands of caribou, nesting birds and barren ground grizzlies in 2008, I realize, that the only way to cover this massive expanse of land is the aerial perspective. So in 2008 I started to plan a major “Arctic Aerial Expedition”, as part of the 2009 work on the Freedom to Roam project. The goal was to show wildlife in their environment, offering a true representation of the way animals depend on this interconnected ecosystem. My goal was to document the retreating sea ice, the platform for seals, walrus, birds and the polar bear as well as to document the 3 major caribou herds of the arctic slope.

I want to invite you to follow my blog as I am going to share with you some of the amazing experiences I had over the last weeks photographing Alaska`s Arctic. Please pass the info on to friends who are interested in wildlife, conservation, Alaska and photography.

Anyway, this is the long story behind the reason why I have a few minutes of internet in the middle of nowhere – at Point Lonely. And it is the same story of just having a few moments. Over night the fog rolled in. Now I have to be on “standby” to be ready to jump into the plane any moment the fog will give us the chance to take off. If we cannot, I might have the chance to write for the coming hours (or days) about my experiences.

What I want to share with you in short: I have seen a Arctic landscape come alive with hundreds of thousands of caribou, watched wolves chase across the tundra, thousands of seals on the ice-sheet and a lonely polar bear wonder the pack ice. As we were buzzing along with the plane it sometimes was hard to absorb and process all the impressions right that very second. I am so glad to have the images to come back to, where a single moment is frozen in time. It will give me a chance to understand what ALL I have seen. My expedition is coming to an end in a few days and after a quick edit, I will share with you some of the incredible moments I have witnessed. For now I better step outside and see what the fog does ……..

The July issue of Outdoor Photographer has a wonderful story on my ongoing Freedom to Roam project on North America`s western seabord from Baja California to the Beaufort sea (B2B) in the arctic. The article gives a great overview of my conservation photography project focusing on wildlife corridors. Take a look at the magazine to see the images in print and read the great story OP has put together in their series on the environment!

Get the July issue of OP to see the story in Freedom to Roam II in print

Grizzly country of the Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park

There is nothing that gives more to the sense of place of wilderness, than the presence of a grizzly bear. Imagine the Rocky Mountain landscape without the great bear. It is, as if the landscape has lost part of its soul. Most of the western states have suffered this fate. Grizzlies have lost over 90% of their former range. Now their most important enclave in the lower 48 is at stake. It is the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and the adjacent Flathead River Valley, that conservationists have been trying to protect for years.

Encounters with the King of the Mountains

Rocky Mountain Grizzly in the alpine meadows of the Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park

FROM MY BOOK: YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON – FREEDOM TO ROAM:

” ….I was sitting on a high alpine slope, looking over mountain lakes and ranges. It was a peaceful September day. Flocks of migrating water pipits fluttered by, filling the air with their soft calls, while golden eagles shot through the skies above me, arching in acrobatic grace. It was late afternoon, and slowly the mountain cast a shadow of blue light over me. I had been on that alpine ridge for days, waiting for something to happen. I was watching a large bighorn sheep when I noticed that it had become quite alert. I turned my head, following the direction of its gaze. My eyes met with those of

a silver-tipped grizzly.

It was as if the mountain wall had simply given birth to the grizzly—it appeared that quickly and silently from out of the blue light. In a single instant, it seemed the whole mountain came alive, vibrating with anticipation. In awe I sat there, watching the magnificent creature digging for roots. I knew he was aware of my presence—the wind had long since carried my scent over to him. Slowly the bear came closer, and everything seemed to fall into a hush. Silence filled the place, as if the whole world was

holding its breath, watching the king of the mountains enter the stage . . .”  —F.S. 

Imagine the American West without the grizzly bear. THE WEST is a great part of America`s history and identity. It needs to keep the symbol of the west alive. This struggle over Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park goes far beyond the status of ” A PARK IN DANGER”. It is about the WILDLIFE GATEWAY between the USA and Canada. The Flathead River Valley can be seen as a “Wildlife Superhighway”, where moose, wolves, grizzlies, black bears, lynx and wolverine move across political border as well as in and out of protection. Such north-south running valleys are extremely rare and the Flathead is one of a kind that still offers wild-land qualities that animals depend on. 

Get involved and send your message to the Canada’s Minister of the Environment. We need to protect this place for the grizzlies! If you have not already read some more about the issue on my blog: Canada selling out World Treasures!

Y2Y Wildlife Corridors Book

My book: Yellowstone to Yukon – Freedom to Roam has a wonderful collection of essays by Dr. David Suzuki, Douglas Chadwick, Karsten Heuer, David Quammen, Rick Bass, Ted Kerasote and other great contributors, that look at the dream of a interconnected ecosystem with functioning wildlife corridors from many different angles. 

Get the BOOK

 Strong winds and dense fog did not allow us to set up a base-camp at Teshekpuk Lake. I had hoped to cover the area around the lake because of plans to open up vast parts of the lake to oil drilling. In 2006 the Department of the Interior  sold leases to 500 000 acres in and around Teshekpuk Lake. 

It already is late in the afternoon and the fog sealing is slowly lowering.  We decide to fly out towards Prodhoe Bay. Because of the strong wind we fly extremely low over the ground to where we gain a few miles an hour in speed. It does not take long and we see the first man-made structure: a test well. This is only the beginning. For the next 60 miles we see one industrial structure after  another. 

People often only envision a small developed spot in the arctic landscape around the Prudhoe Bay area. The truth is, that the Prodhoe Bay Oilfield is the biggest oilfield in North America. The main operating companies are PB, Conoco Phillips and Exxon Mobil.

Most of the activity happens in the midst of winter while it is easier to move equipment across the frozen tundra. While the industry is using special tires to keep down the damages, I see long tracks in “vergin” landscapes made by the heavy machinery. Those tracks are encrouching on the Teshekpuk Lake area, one of the most important arctic bird habitat in the world.

I will try to cover more of the habitat and wildlife at Teshekpuk Lake over the next weeks as the weather gives us a break. Teshekpuk Lake is such an important ecological gem, that oil development simply must not go forward. Stay tuned!

After flying hours below the layer of fog we see a silver lining at the horizon. We need to put the plane down on a gravel bar and set up camp for the night. My pilot Ken wants to look for a spot where we can get out of the wind. We are fighting a stiff breeze of 20 – 30 nots on the nose of the plane.

As we are flying further inland, the sun finally breaks through the layers of fog. In the far distance I see the brooks range. Dark clouds are hugging the mountains and create a dramatic backdrop for photographs. We follow a river drainage south as I see a group of caribou in the riverbed heading to climb a steep snowbank  to join their group up on the extended plains, where food is plentiful.

We swing around with the plane while I keep an eye on the group running up the step snowbank seemingly without effort. I am trying to caputre the images struggling to keep the horizon straight in the viewfinder while the pilot goes into  a steep bank and balances out the gusts of wind. After hours of flying through bad weather, there it is: A few seconds of action in wonderful golden arctic light.

Rainshowers over the Brooks Range - Nikon D3x, 24-70mm f2.8 lens

We started our aerial expeditions heading north beyond the Arctic Circle. Coming from Fairbanks I met my pilots in Coldfoot and we flew west towards the National Petroleum Reserve. It is a vast landscape of open valleys soon turning into treeless tundra. Only willow bushes remain. Beneath us I see the trails that caribous have carved into the ground over decades and centuries. On the riverbeds we also see the tracks of grizzly bears and wolves.

Midnight on the Nigu River in the National Petroleum Reserve - Nikon D3x, 24-70mm f2.8 lens

On the gravel bars of the Nigu we find a spot to set down the bushplanes. It is a wonderful arctic night on the Nigu River. The sun never sets, but colors the mountaintops at the edge of the valley.

A group of muskoxen in the Western Arctic

A few weeks ago I started to document America`s Western Arctic. Coming fresh from Mexico I had a few days in Seattle and then Anchorage to aclimate to the north. The Western Arctic is a huge wilderness area that not very many people know about. For most people it is a “blank spot on the map” with very little visual reference. In the past years the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has received a lot of attention, while the Western Arctic was forgotten about. During that time a lot of resource development projects went forward and oil leases were sold largely unnoticed. 

It is very hard for people to care for a place that they don’t know, let alone they cannot picture. As part of my FREEDOM TO ROAM PROJECT I want to change that. I want people to be able to visualize this incredibly precious landscape of the Western Arctic. This becomes increasingly important as natural resource exploiting industries are finding their way into those very remote places. Red Dog Mine is one of such examples. There are so few people living in those areas, that there is very little local opposition. Next to Red Dog, there are new major mining projects in the works including a strip coal mine accessing one of the largest coal reserves on the planet. Over 10% – some 4 trillion tons, of the worlds coal reserve is located there. 

If this project goes forward, it would not only be a climate disaster, but destroy one of the last true wilderness areas in America. It is a place that is home to to America`s biggest caribou herd: The Western Arctic Herd. Their annual migration route goes directly though the mining project areas. Last summer Emil and I worked extensively to document the Western Arctic Herd. It was one of the most memorable wilderness experiences of our lives. Read Emil’s story here >>

For several days I worked out of a MAUL bush plane to reach remote locations