Guest written by Robin McGahey, edited by Melina Formisano, Adam May, and Chris Campkin The Jackson Wild Summit is over, and I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a little bit nostalgic. From the screenings and the panels, to networking on the dance floor, to the sunset on the Tetons, the Jackson Wild Summit is unlike any other. The conversations were flowing, the content was progressive, and the word “impact” now has a brand of its own. One particular highlight was the fun and interactive “Drop in the Ocean”. The social VR experience is co-produced by NGO Conservation International and Vision3, a London based production company, and in association with Vulcan Productions. “Drop in the Ocean” immerses you deep into the beauty of the ocean – but also directly into the plastic pollution crisis plaguing the world’s oceans. Conservation International and partners aim to raise awareness and trigger action to address the impacts of plastic pollution affecting everything from the smallest plankton to the largest mammals. The approximately 10-minute experience starts the moment you set foot in the VR area. Once the goggles are on, an AI-based markerless tracking system attaches a “skeleton” to your shape. This is what’s happening when the ever-so-lovely VR assistant tells you to please keep your arms out to a “T” and dance around a bit. I promise, it’s not just for our entertainment; it’s so the skeleton can properly attach on to your arms, legs and torso, enabling it to move with you as you go through the experience so that you can see yourself and your co-participants depicted as a collection of marine snow. As the narration begins, the soothing voices of explorers and environmental advocates, Phillipe and Ashlan Cousteau transport you through the ocean, on top of a giant Jellyfish. You start at the at the depths where you can reach out, touch, and almost hold some of the tiniest lifeforms in our ocean, then slowly rise up to the surface. Along the way, you’ll meet many colorful characters, some curious mammals, and eventually (spoiler alert!) get eaten by a whale shark. Dr. Sylvia Earle said it best after her experience: “[Drop in the Ocean] captures the essence of the ocean, the real ocean. It’s not just rocks and water – it’s alive.” Our ocean is living, breathing, and so incredibly colorful, even at the deepest parts. It’s also been polluted down to the most microscopic levels. “Drop in the Ocean” didn’t just enable the audience to see the state of our oceans, it made them feel it. When it comes to impact, that makes all the difference. What exactly are we seeing though? Here, Chris Campkin and Adam May, two of the creators from Vision3, and Melina Formisano, VP of Brand Marketing from Conservation International, have answered a couple of questions you might have had after the experience. What are we supposed to be witnessing? AM: Evidence of destructive human impact at the base of the food web and leaving with hope to create a better world. CC: We are shrinking you down to about the size of a thumb, or roughly the size of the plankton you are surrounded by, to put the viewer face to face with the impact of plastic pollution in all parts of the ocean. It’s supposed to be educational, visually stimulating, and interactive. We highly recommend trying to touch everything you can. What are we actually seeing? CC: It’s a combination of CGI and original content from the archives of Peter Parks’s lifelong work, a man who dedicated his life to studying and capturing images of plankton. Why did you want to start from the depths of the ocean? AM: The connection point between microplastics and human impact. It is also where we get our oxygen. CC: There’s also something mystical about starting from the bottom. It’s all black, so the plankton really light it up, like stars in the night sky. It makes the starting point relative, and draws the user in. Why the Jellyfish? AM: It’s an elegant and natural elevator. CC: Also, why not? Who wouldn’t want to ride a Jellyfish through the ocean? It’s fun for people of all ages Out of all of the media platforms you can use, why did you choose to go with VR? MF: The idea for Conservation International to create virtual reality (VR) films came from the desire to bring more people closer to nature and the work of conservation. VR allows more people to experience the beauty and importance of these places and ecosystems without the time or cost of travel. The immersive experience of VR creates higher levels of empathy that can change minds and change behavior. Not to mention that because the VR technology is still new and evolving, we are able to reach new audiences that may be initially interested only because of the cool technology but who leave the VR experience with a better understanding of our work and the importance of conservation. Through VR, we believe more people will come to understand how local communities rely on nature and they will be moved to help protect nature for the benefit of us all. “Drop in the Ocean” was one of the many amazing VR simulations shown during the week at the Jackson Wild Summit. In addition, there was “My Africa”, produced by CI and Passion Planet, in association with Vision3; “Everest VR: the Movie Experience” by Jonathan Griffith Productions, Legend 3D, and Vulcan; “Greenland Melting” by Frontline, Emblematic Group, NOVA, Rex Studio, and Realtra,; “Polar Obsession” by Black Dot Films VR for Nat Geo; and the Sanctuary 360 series, by Kate Thompson, Nick Zachar, and Shannon Shikles. All of the above did such an amazing job of capturing the livelihood of this planet, and the monumental role that VR can have in impact media.
2 Comments
Guest written by Robin McGahey, an Ocean Conservationist and enthusiastic volunteer at this year's Jackson Wild Summit. Currently residing in her native San Francisco, she is the Fall Benefit Coordinator for the International Ocean Film Festival, as well as an active member in Surfrider's Rise Above Plastics Campaign. This year, the Conservation Focus at Jackson Wild is Living Oceans. Wow, that immediately makes me feel warm on the inside. Crashing waves, breaching whales, little baby turtles making their way to the water, and flourishing coral reefs are all springing to mind. What a truly beautiful idea to have been raised on. Unfortunately, today the image has changed. Whenever I hear “ocean”, more often than not my brain goes to floating plastic debris, washed up whales, bleached coral, and shark fin soup - just to name a few. Photos: Adobe Stock Photo It’s important to remember though, that this is the LIVING Oceans Summit we are going to, so although the basis is about what we have lost, the conversations are about what we still have to fight for. Like my hero, Dr. Sylvia Earle, said in her 2009 Ted Talk, “50% of the corals are gone, but 50% still remain.” The questions now are: Where do we stand? What needs to be done? What can we do? and most importantly, What is standing in our way? A few weeks ago, Australia came out with their 2019 Outlook Report on the status of the Great Barrier Reef. They officially downgraded it from “poor” to “very poor”, and unsurprisingly named climate change as the biggest threat to this natural wonder. They also said though, that the protective and management services that they have been implementing as a result of the 2050 Reef Plan and Blueprint for Resilience have been yielding positive results. Humpback Whales are coming back in larger pods, Southern Green Sea Turtles are swimming better, and some species of coral have shown signs of healing. Like this study, the conditions of the oceans across the board are very poor. Global fish stocks have been depleted by 90%, plastic is now part of the chemical composition of seawater, 880k lbs of oil is released into the ocean every year, and MPAs only consist of 4.8% of the 70% of the globe that is ocean. Our oceans, and all of the wondrous life that lives within them, have been hit worse than we could have ever imagined, all due to a lack of knowledge and care on our part. However, as there is still life, there is still hope, and most importantly, work to be done.
All in all, the Ocean, that is the reusable glass made out of recycled water bottles, was half emptied by overfishing, poaching, pollution, and discarded plastic, to name a few. In fact, it was probably more emptied by more than that. But, the glass is still half (well, a little less than) full of life, wonder, mystery, and teeming with possibility, just as we remember it from when we were little. The people and organizations that I just mentioned are just a few dedicating their lives to filling that glass back up. Many of whom, along with so many others, will be in attendance at Jackson Wild’s Living Oceans Summit, representing the outstanding work that they have done, and discussing what there is still left to do. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say.
We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.
Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film/program? Writer and Director Annamaria Talas: The biggest challenge was to create a narrative that waves in the most important and surprising things about the weird and wonderful kingdom of fungi. I believe that storytelling can be one of the most effective tool to understand the world around us, so I chose the story of evolution on land from the perspective of fungi. However, the second challenge was the sheer lack of publicly available information about their evolution and natural history. Despite having a background in biology, writing the script involved learning the ‘tribal’ languages of environmental physiology, metabolomics, paleobotany, medical mycology and deciphering the most recent findings for a television audience. When I started my research, I didn’t anticipate that these fields were about to change dramatically - even within a year - that I’ll have to rewrite the script again and again to provide the most comprehensive story of how fungi shaped our world. What impact do you hope this film/program will have? AT: From the beginning my aim was to bring attention to this little known, yet so powerful world. In our fast changing world fungi is bound to have an important role in biodiversity, agriculture, CO2 sequestration, in recycling waste and in medicine. Fungi can be our biggest allies in solving many of our problems as well as formidable enemies. Scientists in our film predicted the rise of new human fungal pathogens and just couple of years later we witnessed the emergence of C.auris as a global health threat. Any fun facts about the film/program, the subject matter or the production crew that might surprise the audience? AT: 1. The Third Mode of Life: Fungi represent “a third mode of life” alongside single celled and multicellular organisms. They are networks. Like a brain, these networks are adaptive.They respond to the environment allowing fungi to deploy nutrients where they are most needed, explore resources, combat enemies or make urgent repairs. 2. Sleeping Beauties: Spores embedded 2.5 kms under the Pacific seabed were recovered and grew to a 1 cm tall mushroom, closely related to a species called Schizophyllum commune. 3. Sexual identities: Fungi have up to 28,000 sexual identities to choose from but they can also make babies without having sex - asexually. That’s where things get tricky for mycologists trying to catalogue fungi. Fungi, depending on their choice of reproduction – sexual or asexual – appear as wildly different. In 1994, Kathie Hodge and her students from Cornell University went mushroom hunting. Among the findings was a mysterious fungus picked from a beetle grub. It was identified as C. subsessilis an extremely rare species from the insect-eating group, Cordyceps, that reproduces sexually. The surprise came, when Kathie germinated the spores and it developed into a well know – asexual - mold, that single-handedly made organ transplants possible by producing an immunosuppressant, cyclosporine. 4. Harvesting energy: all fungi have melanin, the dark pigment we have in our skin. Researchers thought melanin might be protecting the fungi against gamma radiation much as it protects us from UV rays. But according Professor Arturo Casadevall, discovered that their melanin is capable of harvesting the energy of gamma rays. In his lab, radiated fungi grew faster but only if they contained melanin. We’d long thought only plants could harvest energy from radiation. Not so, it seems fungi can do it too. What next? AT: My next documentary is investigating through the lens of Big Data how success emerge – The Science of Success. I like to think of this film as a natural history of society, where we are looking for patterns to reveal the nature of success. Big data acts as a telescope through which previously unknown social processes can be seen for the first time.
We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.
What inspired this story?
Director Jeffery Waldron: Years ago, my co-director Shannon Service (and her writing partner) published a story on NPR about slavery in the Thai fishing industry, detailing the unbelievable true story of an escaped captive fisherman. Moved by the piece, producer Greg Kwedar reached out to Shannon and I about making a documentary. Over the next six years and many trips to the region, we began to weave the elements that would become Ghost Fleet; challenging ourselves to balance the unfolding journey of our hero, Patima, with strong visceral imagery echoing the experiences of the enslaved men. Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film/program? JW: There are many challenges to shooting an international documentary like Ghost Fleet. With multiple trips over the years — last minute crew and equipment availability, improvised travel plans, expedited visas, and the inherent dangers of working in sensitive areas and subject matters were among the trickiest waters to navigate. The language barrier was a major hurdle with six languages appearing in the film. There were as many logistical and creative challenges in the edit room as behind the camera; again with so much translation required, so many capture formats (with more than seven different camera systems), but especially in discovering and establishing the subjective language of the film — fitting those many hard-won puzzle pieces together.
How do you approach storytelling?
JW: Our aim was to tell this story with visual elements as gripping and memorable as a narrative film — knowing that there’s a big difference between simply educating an audience about a topic and making them feel and empathize in a deeper, sense-driven way. Balancing Shannon’s amazing journalistic instincts, and my experience as a narrative cinematographer and photography-forward documentary director — we were able to combine our strengths. What impact do you hope this film/program will have? JW: Our dream is that this film moves people; emotionally, in empathy with the plight of the thousands of still enslaved or marooned men; inspired by the continuing works of our hero Patima; and in action, to look more critically at the fish they buy, to share the film and its message with everyone they know, and to donate to Patima’s efforts at wesaveoursons.org.
We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.
What inspired this story? Producer, Director and Camera Operator Nick Lyon: When we were looking for a location to film Painted Wolf we knew for this sort of film we wanted there to be a change – something the film could build around – so when we discovered Mana Pools and the amazing backstory of Tait (who our guides had known her entire life) it was clear given her age that she was unlikely to survive to the end of filming – this was enough to know we had some essential building blocks for a film. The presence of three related packs within driving range gave us insurance packs if the worst case scenario happened and the pack collapses (indeed a nearby pack all got poisoned by elephant poachers during our filming). We could never have foreseen the complex interpack story that unfolded in front of us, but our filming approach allowed us to cover what turned out to be a Shakespearean drama. What did you learn from your experience making this film/program? NL: I’m not sure if anyone has followed painted wolves so intensively for such a duration before. I can understand why – it is incredibly hard, there are huge distances involved, and it is easy to lose them in thick scrub, but the more time we spent with them the more we were able to predict their next movements. It got to the point by shoot 8, where the pack would wake up and stretch, and we would race off as they were doing their greeting ceremony and set up cameras 5 kms away ready for the morning hunt. It wouldn’t be long before the whole pack would be bounding past us in full pursuit. They could have gone any direction, 360 degrees from where they woke up, but we had become so tuned to their rhythms and those of the park that we had a feel for what they were doing and when and why. The guides taught us about how slight changes in water level have huge impacts on how they move and navigate their landscape. We found that most of their large movements were dictated by the movement of lions within their ranges, and the more we learned about their fear of lions the bigger we knew Tait’s sacrifice was when she reluctantly led her pack into exile in the pridelands. We also learned that the behavior of painted wolves can vary massively from location to location. I would be reading scientific literature which made broad sweeping claims about these animals that just didn’t ring true in Mana Pools. I think it is fair to say that from place to place packs pass down different “cultures” that are appropriate to the diverse habitat types they are found in. The received wisdom is that painted wolves do not hunt baboons, furthermore on balance even predators such as leopards are thought to actively avoid hunting baboons, however we recognized a big shift in behaviour during our filming period. Whilst there had been the odd, sporadic sighting of the packs taking baboons, it was very much the exception, until 6 months into filming where suddenly we noticed lots of baboon body parts being brought back to Blacktip’s den, and the slightly gory sight of cute puppies playing tug of war with baboon arms, or “football” with baboon heads. They started off being small individuals, but as time went on we started to see them hunting baoons on the floodplain (wereas previously they had been hunting them in the thick brush of the backcountry). The baboons they targeted got bigger over time as they refined their hunting techniques. The alarm calls of the baboons also started to change. They started with a warning call for leopards (that was quite furious) and a totally different call for lesser threat predators – they did the same call for the painted wolves as they did for the lions. After the baboon-hunting began the baboons started using their leopard alarm for the painted wolves. Sometimes this would see whole groups of baboons emptying out of the trees to avoid being ambushed in the branches, only to fall prey to a pack of 30 painted wolves. It would be interesting to know if since then they have developed a unique call for the painted wolves. This baboon alarm call spread down the floodplain over the next year, and then again when animals dispersed from Blacktip’s pack and joined Tammy’s pack we saw the baboon hunting behavior move with them and get passed on to the other pack members. We had so many baboon hunting records on our cameras that it provided close to 80% of the statistical data of a paper I co-authored with zoologist Esther van der Meer on active selection of baboons by painted wolves. For reference: research paper "Dangerous game: preferential predation on baboons by African wild dogs in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe" linked here.
How do you approach storytelling?
NL: With this film in particular – starting as we did with 3 different packs, and covering in our time 91 different individual painted wolves, we had a big challenge. Because we were committed to telling the truth “warts and all” – we didn’t know who would rise or fall in the period of filming, and there were many surprises along the way, that would have been real curveballs if we had focused our attention on fewer individuals too soon in the process. So we approached the storytelling like an observational documentarian would with a people story, building numerous backstories and getting footage of all the animals so that as we recognised who would be the important players, decision makers, the rising alphas, we could go back through the rushes to tease out these individual’s stories. We then had the challenge of fitting in sequences that involved wonder, spectacle, behavior and insight at the same time as keeping the audience on track with a developing narrative of two distinct, but related and interacting packs. At one point we had a board of 60 possible landmark quality sequences on post its, and had to really work hard to keep the central themes going, stick to the correct chronology and make sure all our named animals were the correct animals – it was quite a challenge. What impact do you hope this film/program will have? NL: I felt going into this film that I was dealing with the underdog of the series – the one that was least known and most misunderstood. My hope was that by the end of this film not only would people know what a painted wolf was – but that I may become their new favourite animal – and this has certainly been a lot of the feedback I have received on social media. I have also had the opportunity to speak about the filmmaking process, co-author a scientific paper, and engage the audience with the plight of this species. Working in collaboration with an incredible artist in the UK - Emily Lamb - her paintings of my photos are now pulling in funds for frontline conservation of this species and more. Were there any surprising or meaningful moments/experiences you want to share? NL: We had a panic early in the filming process, where Tait suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. We saw her pack so knew they hadn’t just moved to a different area (which can happen), but Tait would never have gone off by herself so after a week we began to fear the worse. We did, however, notice that the pack never rested on the floodplain during the day after their hunt, which outside of puppy time was their normal behavior. They kept running back into the back country away from the river after their morning hunt – typical of their denning behaviour. We realized that they must have Tait holed up somewhere; and they were clearly going back to feed her, regurgitating meat from their hard earned hunt for their beloved leader. Sure enough, after 2 weeks of absence, an older and more worn Tait re-appeared. We’re not sure what happened to her, but it was clear her pack looked after her and nursed her back to health. She was never quite the same after this moment, but even in her weakened state their was never a challenge to her leadership, the pack really loved her, and from then on we frequently saw different members of the pack regurgitating food for her. It is a rare thing to see in the natural world and I found the relationships between pack members very moving. Any fun facts about the film/program, the subject matter or the production crew that might surprise the audience? NL: We spent 669 days in the field. To follow the packs we drive 51,000 miles. In a single wet season shoot we had 22 punctures. We did 60 nights of following the packs after dark with thermal cameras. We recorded 313 hours of “selects” – the high quality footage that could have made it into the show. We worked with 9 professional guides and 9 specialist camera operators. The working day was normally 03:30 to 22:30, and the heat of the day was often spent snoozing in a sandy river bed near our packs, obviously being mugged by sweat bees! Anything else you would like people to know? NL: There has been some feedback from the scientific community that there are moments in the film that “anthropomorphise” the characters. It is an interesting, but broadly outdated, concept. Anthropomorphism is understood as ascribing human-like characteristics to animals – but is largely based on the cultural construction of an arbitrary human-animal divide. Research and understanding have progressed in such a way that the whole human-animal divide has been blurred and we are very much recognized as human animals. Many of the traits perceived to be peculiar to humans have been found present in animals, ranging from tools use, theory of mind, teaching and language. Those of us who have spent serious amounts of time studying and filming animals in the wild, or even owning pets know that emotions are not a peculiar to the human condition, and we are just one of many animals to experience emotions. With that in mind I would like to say that we worked very carefully on this film to ascribe reactions to these animals that we truly believed them to be having and not, as some have accused us of, made up to create a more compelling story. I think it is important that we don’t hamstring ourselves in the telling of true stories by fear of being accused of anthropomorphism – it is a dangerous construct that I believe bolsters exploitation of the natural world and individual wild animals and domestic animals, and that is our philosophical and ethical duty to represent the truth, and not be swayed by hidden agendas of those who would attempt to discredit us in the process. Secrets to Successful Wildlife Watching in Grand Teton and Yellowstone Part 1: Through the Seasons8/12/2019 This post is written by our friends at Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures. Check them out their site and their original blog post! “The American Serengeti” - a landscape filled with herds of bellowing bison, sprinting pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep standing atop cliffs, grizzlies and wolves hunting in wildflower filled meadows. Views like these were commonplace during the time of Lewis and Clark, but largely vanished due to market hunting throughout the 1980’s. But not all was lost, and today thanks to over a century of dedicated conservation, the American Serengeti still has a home, Yellowstone. Today, the wild lands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem host the greatest abundance and diversity of wildlife that has been found here in the last 130 years! From the largest remaining herd of wild bison, to hundreds of bird species, massive elk, deer, and pronghorn migrations, wolves, grizzlies and mountain lions, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are a wildlife viewing hotspot. Want to make the most of a trip to see wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem? Read on. Summer: June-August As melting snow hydrates the landscape an explosion of plant and animal life emerges across the GYE. The ecosystems 1000+ plant species form the base of a diverse food web and as wildflowers peak in June and July so do sightings of baby animals. Elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorn antelope, and moose all calvein late May or early June. This timing serves two major evolutionary advantages. The arrival of so many animals literally swamps predators, such as black and grizzly bears, coyotes, golden eagles, and wolves. Within a few weeks, the calves are large enough to flee predators more successfully and overall predation is limited. Last year on a Teton wildlife tour, we observed a black bear locate a bedded pronghorn fawn and give chase, only to realize he was no match for the speedy fawn, who easily disappeared. Perhaps the most important reason to calve in spring is our short summer season and harsh winters, which present an even more formidable challenge than predation, the possibility of starvation. The small stomachs of young animals limit their ability to consume critical forage before the coming winter, so they must take advantage of the entire summer to grow. Angry August: The Bison Rut! As summer marches on across the GYE the days grow hot and dry. Angry August is near. In Yellowstone’s Lamar and Hayden Valleys and the Jackson Hole Valley of Grand Teton National Park, bison, our largest animal found in the GYE congregate for an annual event, the rut or mating season. Though the bison rut often gets going in Late July, we generally observe peak behavior in August. As testosterone peaks, bull bison rejoin female herds, bellowing, scent marking and kicking up dust in wallows and fighting as they seek to establish a dominance hierarchy. The rut is fatal for some, providing scavenging opportunities for wolves, grizzlies and other scavengers. Dominant bulls “tend” to females who are near estrus (receptive to mating). Look for a “flehmen response” where bulls tilt their heads and curl their lips upward before freezing in place. This behavior allows bison and other animals to send scent to a specialized gland which can tell them if a female is receptive to mating. Fall: September - November The bison rut is the first of the upcoming mating seasons for ungulates in the GYE. As bison cool down, we start to observe their speedy neighbors, pronghorn antelope, heating up. Dominant buck pronghorn have an exhausting job, constantly chasing other males out of their territories while herding groups of females back in. This behavior may serve as an adaptation keeping the species fleet footed, pronghorn once needed to out run the now extinct North American Cheetah. All this running can mean male pronghorn lose up to 10% of their body weight right before winter! Bugling Bulls Beneath the Tetons For many, including myself, the peak event of the mating season starts with frosty mornings and golden aspen trees. A lone bugle emits through the still air and a champion emerges, it’s a bull elk. Growing up near Rocky Mountain National Park, my family and I took annual trips to watch these giants battle to control herds of cow elk. Today my EcoTour Adventures Guests and I watch them in open meadows beneath the awe inspiring Teton Mountain Range. Photograph elk and other wildlife during our Fall Photography Workshop, we have just a few spots left! Moose, our largest deer species are also courting during this time, choosing the golden forests of cottonwood trees in river bottoms to meet. Bull moose, weighing in at around 1000 lbs, begin to concentrate near females, both sexes generally remain solitary during most of the summer. Bears! Fall wildlife activity is already packed without the addition of some of the best bear activity of the year! Both Black and Grizzly Bears become highly active in the fall as high calorie content food sources like berries, whitebark pine cones, and carcasses from the bison rut become available. During this period, known as hyperphagia or “over eating” the bears consume upwards of 20,000 calories a day! Both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks become hotspots for bear viewing during this time. Don’t forget to “be bear aware” by 1. Keeping a 100 yard distance from bears, 2. Travel in groups and make noise, and 3. Carry Bear Spray and know how to use it! Fall Migrations At any point in the fall the first snow may come, blanketing the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in white. It’s a signal for our great herds of wildlife to begin epic migrations out of the high country and back towards winter habitat. Wildlife biologists have mapped 10 major elk migrations out of Yellowstone as well as the longest known pronghorn (100 miles!) and mule deer (250 miles!) migrations in the world, and you can catch them in action right here. Winter: December - March As winter storms loom, the roads of Yellowstone and Grand Teton begin to close for the season. This year (2019) Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway close October 15th, with the remainder of the park’s interior roads closing on November 4th. The Teton Park Road, one of our favorite spots to look for bugling elk in fall, closes on November 1st for the winter. But don’t let the limited road access discourage you, for wildlife enthusiasts, winter is one of the best times to observe wildlife in the GYE. Here’s why. Concentrated Wildlife In winter, wildlife come to us in Jackson Hole. The 11,000 strong Jackson Hole herd, formerly dispersed across the National Forest and National Parks now concentrates in the valley, thousands of them wintering on the National Elk Refuge just outside of the town of Jackson. They’re joined by bighorn sheep and mule deer taking refuge from deep snow in the high country. At no other time of year are wildlife as concentrated as in winter, including predators like wolves and the occasional mountain lion. Scavengers, including coyotes, golden and bald eagles are also more visible, I’ve observed more than 30 eagles from one viewpoint on the Refuge before. Flat Creek, a spring fed creek which winds across the Refuge remains free from ice for much of the winter, attracting numerous species of ducks and hundreds of the once critically endangered Trumpeter Swan. Migratory rough-legged hawks are often seen perching along the Refuge, they’ve traveled over 2000 miles from above the arctic circle to get here! To the north, in Grand Teton National Park, the snowy fields of Antelope Flats attract moose who concentrate in numbers not seen during other times of year. They are here to feed on antelope bitterbrush, a shrub with more easily digestible stems which helps get them through the winter. Nordic Skiing and Snowshoeing Winter is also a peaceful time to explore the silent winter wonderland of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks on cross country skis or snowshoes. Winter is an ideal time to study the track and sign of winter wildlife, each snowstorm brings a blank canvas on which they write. The diverse and abundant wildlife found here means tracking a porcupine one minute, then finding mountain lion tracks, then a pile of fur and quills where the two met. Stories like these which unfold in the snow are one of our favorite parts of winter. Learn more about our ski, snowshoe, and winter wildlife tours! Wolf Watching There is no better time to search for wolves than winter, and though Grand Teton can be a good option, the Northern Range of Yellowstone reigns supreme as a top location for wolf watching in the lower 48 states. Over 150,000 people visit Yellowstone annually with the specific intention of wolf viewing, generating over $35 million in economic activity for surrounding communities. Wolves, like many other wildlife species were systematically eradicated from most of their historic range in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Their return in 1995 is one of the greatest conservation success stories of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Though wolves can be viewed any time of year I recommend the wolf mating season in late January/February. Winter Wolves and Wildlife of Yellowstone Multi Day Dates are up! Sparse Crowds in Yellowstone’s Winter Wonderland To enter Yellowstone’s snowy interior in winter, one must join a guided snowmobile or snow-coach trip. Visitors to this winter wonderland can enjoy the usually crowded thermal features with a select few, some of whom may be a bit more hairy and hooved. The interior bison herd migrates to thermal areas in winter to take advantage of shallow snow. Spring: April-May Even the toughest bison longs for coming spring, and so do I after 5 months of winter! Spring comes on slow in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem but the tiny green shoots which follow melting snow are a promise of the bounty of summer to come. Wintering elk and deer herds are now reaching the end of their fat reserves and set out to retrace the great migrations of fall in reverse. Experienced matriarchs lead their herds in surfing the green wave of spring towards the promise of summer. Migrations on the Wing cross Continents, and Hemispheres! As our big game herds begin their march towards summer so do the winged migrations across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. With close to 300 documented species of birds, Yellowstone and Grand Teton are a birders paradise, especially in spring. Starting as early as March, look for the flash of brightly colored mountain bluebirds on the National Elk Refuge, or near Gardiner at Yellowstone’s north entrance. 6 species of swallows will soon follow, some competing for the same nesting habitat. Broad tailed and calliope hummingbirds return here from Central America to feed on the nectar of blooming wildflowers. Visit grasslands to look for one of our longest avian migrants, the Swainson’s Hawk. Over the course of three months each spring and fall Swainson’s travel over 7000 miles, all the way to the Argentinean Pampas or grassland. One of my favorite spring sightings generally occurs in early May at LeHardy Rapids on the Yellowstone River. Harlequin ducks, a species of torrent duck arrive here from the Pacific Northwest coast to feed and mate. Perfectly adapted to life in rough water, harlequins have extra strong bones. After a summer raising chicks in Yellowstone’s rugged interior the females will stop once again at the LeHardy Rapids before making the cross country journey back to the coast. Baby Bison! As our year of wildlife in Yellowstone completes its circle we return to the first baby mammals or spring, bison calves. Calves can be born in early April, up to two months before their elk or deer counterparts. I usually observe the first bison calves in Yellowstone’s Northern Range, with the Teton bison herd calving several weeks later. Please let us know if we can help with guiding your next adventure in Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Parks by calling us 307-690-9533 or emailing [email protected].
Now in our 11th year of operation, Jackson Hole Ecotour Adventures leads wildlife safaris, cross country skiing tours, and snowshoe tours in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks 365 days a year. Let us help maximize your Jackson Hole Experience Today! by Alicia Bynum Coming together as individuals and big companies alike, people around the world are uniting to make the world a better place for our present and future. There are many groups and brands that act as role models for the eco-friendly world. It is up to us as individuals to choose where to best invest our time and material-consumption in regards to creating a clean future for the children of tomorrow. This non-profit organization is leading the way for a clean future: The Ocean Cleanup non-profit organization was founded in 2013 by Dutch inventor, Boyan Slat. The team combines ideas with over 80 engineers, scientists, and techno-modelers. They have one mission: to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. Their proposed solution uses solar power and natural oceanic forces to catch and concentrate littered plastic from our oceans. Computation models reveal a deployment of this system that will progress to a 50% reduction of ocean garbage within 5 years. The floating boom system will “act like plastic” as it uses the natural current and wind direction to float and collect trash of up to 150,000 pounds per year. This method will use advanced technology to capture waste while floating along the ocean currents between California and Hawaii. The non-profit aims to reach a full fleet of floating boom systems in the Great Pacific by 2020. Future plans are ongoing to repurpose the collected plastic. Along with ocean-focused organizations are brands like Patagonia blazing ahead with the priority of a clean future. The American clothing company has really set the bar for industry environmentalism. With initiatives like the Worn Wear Program, Patagonia aims to “Repair, share, and recycle” used gear to reduce carbon and waste footprints. The company is greatly involved with grassroot activists by providing grants through Patagonia Action Works. With large-name brands stating their values on environmentalism, consumers of our culture are not only influenced to purchase eco-friendly materials but are also encouraged to get involved hands-on and do their part within their own home. This American company, common to the tastebuds of American culture, measures their environmental impact from “Farm to Spoon.” One pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream emits 2 lbs. of CO2 Emissions. The owners of the company, along with managers and employees on board, have been proactive in studying the results of greenhouse gases by comparing their own company’s emissions to those relatable to the public. A study shows that 41% of Ben & Jerry’s total carbon footprint is traceable back to cows where the main ingredient is obtained- cream! By simply studying this pertinent information, the leaders of the company are able to innovate future global climate goals while educating consumers simultaneously. No need to feel guilty about those late night Phish Food snacks, just recycle the container to the appropriate facility! With eco-inspiration from big-name brands and leading companies, the message to make a difference continues to expand globally. Local businesses and non-profit organizations are impacting communities to stand together for change towards a clean future. The mission continues to spread, and it all starts with one person. YOU. Meow Wolf is a locally based art-trap out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has turned more than heads with this sculpture built from recycled detergent bottles and milk jugs. The giant blue whale named “Ethyl” makes her presence known at 82 feet of recycled plastic. The Santa Fe Community College and Meow Wolf collaborated to bring this sculpture to New Mexico in time for a statement on Earth Day, 2019. Meow Wolf is an out-of-the-box art collective in Santa Fe that combines art, funk, and all that is strange and unusual. They worked diligently to bring Ethyl to New Mexico to teach the community about the lifespan of a plastic bottle and its impact on our oceans and wildlife. Here are a few ideas to get involved with keeping plastic out of our oceans, reducing material waste, and helping others get involved through action:
The 2019 Jackson Wild Summit is approaching this September 21-27 where participants, filmmakers, and the JW team will come together to share ideas and make partnerships in the interest of global wildlife and conservation. A flame of innovation will be lit, as critical issues facing our planet are discussed between scientists, conservationists, and filmmakers alike. This year’s conservation focus will be on Living Oceans.
Written by Alicia Bynum.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
- Jane Goodall
A scientist, conservationist, peacemaker, and mentor, Jane Goodall is an astounding nominee for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. With over 50 years of work and dedication, Goodall has proven a legacy for the protection of wildlife and conservation of the environment to ensure a better future for all inhabitants of the world. At 85 years old, Jane continues her studies by touring place to place and spreading the message of hope as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
Achievements Throughout the Years
1960 - Jane observes groups of chimps and learns that they eat meat, hunt, and make and use tools. 1963 - National Geographic publishes a cover story about Jane and her research on chimpanzees. 1965 - National Geographic films “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees” and airs their film internationally. 1977 - The Jane Goodall Institute is founded for the continuation of chimpanzee research, conservation efforts, and environmental education and mentorship.
“I went in as a scientist and came out an advocate.”
- Jane Goodall
1986 - Dr. Jane Goodall becomes an activist and switches her focus to a broad animal-human conservation approach, rather than the mere study through observation and research.
1991 - Roots & Shoots is founded to encourage youth around the world to pursue their passions and become leaders in promoting a better future for people, animals, and the environment. 1991 - The Jane Goodall Institute establishes the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center to provide and care to now more than 150 orphaned chimpanzees. 1994 - Jane starts community-conservation work in Tanzania. 2004 - Jane is named a UN Messenger of Peace. 2005 - The Jane Goodall Institute establishes a formal conservation action plan focused around Gombe Stream National Park. 2005 - Jane is awarded the Jackson Wild Legacy Award.
“When you live in the forest, it’s easy to see that everything’s connected.”
- Jane Goodall
2010 - The 50th Anniversary of Jane’s research in Gombe, making it the longest continuous study of chimpanzees in the world.
2016 - The 25th Anniversary of Roots & Shoots, reaching nearly 100 countries and a network of youth following Jane’s conservation ethics and examples. 2017 - The 40th Anniversary of The Jane Goodall Institute and its expansion into a global mission. 2019 - Jane celebrates her 85th birthday and continues to spread the message of hope through lectures on protecting chimpanzees from extinction, species conservation, and the urgency of global environmental crises. Jane Goodall has promoted a sense of peace for the world and its entirety. She did not stop at the study of chimpanzees. She grew a legacy with The Jane Goodall Institute which has inspired the world to continue to grow her mission of peace between people, wildlife, and the environment.
Goodall has spent a lifetime of dedication to what began as her passionate research on chimpanzees. Through Goodall’s research and inspiration to our world’s youth, we have learned much of how each individual can contribute and make a difference for the sake of all wildlife, human beings, and our precious planet.
“If we all give up hope and do nothing, well then indeed there is no hope. It will be helped by all of us, every one of us taking action of some sort.”
- Jane Goodall One of the greatest honors you can receive at the Jackson Wild Media Awards is our Grand Teton Award, which goes to the best film in the entire competition. Over the years, the Grand Teton Award has gone to some absolutely amazing films. Let's take a trip down memory lane and take a look at our past winners over the years: 1991: "Here Be Dragons" (National Geographic)
1993: "Eternal Enemies" (National Geographic)
1995: "Life in the Freezer: The Big Freeze" (BBC)
1997: "Natural World: People of the Sea" (BBC)1999: "Vision Man" (Swedish Film Institute)
2001: "Mzima: Haunt of the Riverhorse" (National Geographic)
2003: "Cultured Ape" (Scorer Associates)Primatologist Frans de Waal claims that apes share with us the most precious jewel in our evolutionary crown: culture. This 60-minute film explores the remarkable depth of similarity between ourselves and our nearest relatives – apes. 2005: "Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action" (Katahdin Productions)
2007: "Galapagos: Born of Fire" (BBC)
2009: "Green" (Tawak)
2011: "Broken Tail" (Crossing the Line Films)
2013: "On a River in Ireland" (Crossing the Line Films)
2014 (Science Media Awards): "Particle Fever" (PF Productions, LLC & Anthos Media, LLC, USA)2015: "Jago: A Life Underwater" (Underdog Films)2016 (Science Media Awards): "David Attenborough's Light on Earth" (Terra Mater Factual Studios/Ammonite Films, CuriosityStream, with BBC, UKTV, ABC Australia)2017: "The Ivory Game" (A Netflix Documentary, Terra Mater Film Studios and Vulcan Productions)
2018 (Science Media Awards): "Laws of the Lizard" (Day's Edge Productions for Smithsonian Channel)
In summary, the Grand Teton Award winners have compelling story lines that explore the complex issues that develop between people and the natural world – uncovering the unflattering side of both of these worlds. Big production companies, like BBC and National Geographic, have taken home quite a few of these awards over the years. However, Grand Teton Awards have gone to independent production companies on many occasions as well, which is very impressive especially when they are running up against veteran, power companies like National Geographic. It goes to show that this competition truly celebrates the best of nature storytelling, no matter the source or the budget that goes into the project.
We can't wait to see who will take home the Grand Teton Award in 2019!
We reached out to our festival filmmakers to ask them five questions about the experience of making their films.
Whale Wisdom Trailer from Jackson Wild on Vimeo. What inspired this story? Director and Cameraman Rick Rosenthal: After filming whales for many years, I felt it was time to tell a different story- one that would focus on whale intelligence, and ask the question- how smart are whales? Were there any surprising or meaningful experiences you want to share? RR: Yes. We did not expect to film (1) Humpback whales outsmarting humans to get what they want, (2) Gray whales surfing, (3) Sperm whales playing ball and (4) Killer whales catching the dangerous Whiptail sting ray. What impact do you hope this film will have? RR: I hope that we will finally accept the fact that there are highly intelligent species in the ocean that are capable of figuring out complex problems, with feelings not unlike our own. There is much more to whale behavior than just instinct. Learning and passing on knowledge is a key component of whale behavior and it’s one of our definitions of culture. Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film. RR: One of the main challenges were uncertainties with weather, especially in working out in the open ocean. There were also difficulties in getting reliable information about the location of the whales, and challenges with having the budget to spend enough time in the field to capture the behavior. What drove you as a filmmaker to focus on our oceans and marine life? RR: I have spent more than 50 years doing research and filming marine life, so it was a natural to tackle this subject. |
Archives
July 2024
Categories
All
|