Much of the principal photography on this blog -- and the best photography, specifically -- is the work of my brother Brian, who nine times out of ten is my companion in the field. He helps navigate the labyrinthine swamps, sloughs, and bottomlands of the Pascagoula River Basin, and is quick to spot interesting woodpecker cavities and suspected scaling. More than once, he has helped get us out of difficult situations in this remote wilderness by his encouragement, common sense, and general steadfastness.
The past few months have been anxious times for those of us close to the Pascagoula River. Brian and I have come to view the River as rather sacred. This may sound overly romantic to some, but there is nothing romantic about a wild, free river -- it is a rare thing to behold these days, and as aggravating as it can be at times (the current flooding of the surrounding bottomland by the River comes to mind), it is also humbling, a reminder to humans of their fragile, transient nature in this world. This mighty, magnificent river -- the largest undammed river by volume in the lower 48 Unites States, as I have mentioned in other posts -- is, in addition to the ongoing threat of pollution, threatened by proposed dams on one of its lower tributary streams. Both Brian and I -- and Brian in particular -- have been closely following developments, and while it seems that the River may have been granted a reprieve recently, the threat has not gone away.
American Rivers, "an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers in the United States,"* recently listed the Pascagoula River as "Most Endangered." My brother Brian's photo was used to help publicize this important development here. The designation by American Rivers will hopefully go a long way towards helping to keep the Pascagoula River in its current state -- with enough elbow room to periodically shift its bed, and to occasionally breathe life into the surrounding swamps and bottomland forests, as it has done for time out of mind.
When we began searching for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in south Mississippi -- a search now going on two years old -- we did not realize the hold that the Pascagoula River would come to have upon our hearts and minds. This hold is evident in the care and love Brian puts into his photos, which are continually reaching a wider audience. I cannot help but think that is a good thing for the River.
Keep up the good work, brother.
*Karen Nelson, Pascagoula, Mississippi Sun-Herald. (LINK)
The past few months have been anxious times for those of us close to the Pascagoula River. Brian and I have come to view the River as rather sacred. This may sound overly romantic to some, but there is nothing romantic about a wild, free river -- it is a rare thing to behold these days, and as aggravating as it can be at times (the current flooding of the surrounding bottomland by the River comes to mind), it is also humbling, a reminder to humans of their fragile, transient nature in this world. This mighty, magnificent river -- the largest undammed river by volume in the lower 48 Unites States, as I have mentioned in other posts -- is, in addition to the ongoing threat of pollution, threatened by proposed dams on one of its lower tributary streams. Both Brian and I -- and Brian in particular -- have been closely following developments, and while it seems that the River may have been granted a reprieve recently, the threat has not gone away.
American Rivers, "an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers in the United States,"* recently listed the Pascagoula River as "Most Endangered." My brother Brian's photo was used to help publicize this important development here. The designation by American Rivers will hopefully go a long way towards helping to keep the Pascagoula River in its current state -- with enough elbow room to periodically shift its bed, and to occasionally breathe life into the surrounding swamps and bottomland forests, as it has done for time out of mind.
When we began searching for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in south Mississippi -- a search now going on two years old -- we did not realize the hold that the Pascagoula River would come to have upon our hearts and minds. This hold is evident in the care and love Brian puts into his photos, which are continually reaching a wider audience. I cannot help but think that is a good thing for the River.
Keep up the good work, brother.
*Karen Nelson, Pascagoula, Mississippi Sun-Herald. (LINK)
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