Riverine
In this long-term series, l've been exploring biodiversity on the Shenandoah River and its associated streams.
As a conservation photographer and a student of natural history, I'm drawn to the creatures that make up the more than human world, and the dynamic flow of the Shenandoah (located just across the street from our old farmhouse) is one of my favorite places to encounter them. As the spaces available for wild animals have contracted, riverine creatures have become more elusive, but l've found that quiet observation from a kayak or a riverside rock reveals a still complex and beautiful tapestry of riverine life, even if that tapestry is sometimes threadbare.
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The Shenandoah River faces multiple challenges including agricultural run-off, development, fish kills, invasive species, and busy adjacent highways. The Shenandoah ultimately drains into the Chesapeake Bay, a priority cleanup area for the State of Virginia. What impacts the river ultimately impacts the bay, but there are also stories of hope and resilience. Populations of beaver reintroduced to Virginia and are reengineering watersheds. I've also noted how predators such as mink have used invasive species like virile crayfish as prey.
And there are programs and partnerships to help landowners fence out cattle and plant natives - programs that if their funding continues, can help revitalize polluted waterways. I've had the privilege of seeing how some of these partnerships have played out in rural Appalachian towns and Mennonite owned farms in Rockingham County.
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While this is a comprehensive project, l've teamed up with various organizations to communicate different aspects of the larger story.
The May 2025 issue of Ranger Rick has a cover story featuring my work on American mink.
I've also worked with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources on two turtle stories that get at the problem of illegal collecting.
Shell Game - The Problem of Illegal Trade in Turtles: Virginia Wildlife, May/June 2021: cover, 6 (cover photo and inside photo)
New Regulations to Protect Virginia's Snapping Turtles: Virginia Wildlife (2019)
My wood turtle images also appeared on the cover of A Guide to the Turtles of Virginia, 2nd edition and in the 2023 Virginia Wildlife Calendar.
