Bonnie Gilmore listens intently as her mother Alice shares family history and information regarding family ceremonial and burial sites being destroyed by BHP Mining.
I’ve been on the Navajo Reservation for the past few weeks, documenting the discovery and disappearance of rare plant species. Coal mining is just one of the threats to the survival of these species. Human lives are also threatened. Carlan Tapp’s Question of Power reveals the impacts of coal mining on people living near the mines, who have lost their homes, health and sheep to the energy industry. Tapp assisted Ansel Adams for a few years and his work is incredible, check it out. If only someday one of my photos would be half as good…
Zion in the snow.
It’s not snowing like this now, but it was a few weeks ago. When I first got to southwest Utah in March, it seemed like I brought the blizzard of D.C. with me. Actually, bad weather followed me all winter–Hueco, Arkansas, Boulder, D.C., Philly, even Zion. But snow makes for cool photography, even if your camera gets a little wet. Zion was gushing with waterfalls and it was snowing so hard you could hardly see any of the walls!
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Alex King in Approach Clothing, Boulder, Colorado. Photo by Caroline Treadway
Take another look into elephant’s trunk of video archives by the extraordinary Alex King. This one is classic!
We Are Elephant, and this is elevision… from Alex King & Mito Media on Vimeo.
elephant journal
A double-wattled Cassowary at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Photo by Caroline Treadway.
The new March/April issue of Zoogoer is finally online, and there are all sorts of goodies inside—Peter Winkler’s awesome Tai Shan timeline, Valerie May’s riveting peek into the animal transport world, and a Where in the Zoo? on the double-wattled Cassowary by me!
Check out the National Zoo’s web site for the story or just read it here:
The Cassowary’s Casque
What is this bird, and what is that thing sticking from its head? Meet the double-wattled cassowary.
By Caroline Treadway
Among the many striking features of the double-wattled cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), one literally stands out the most. That’s the casque, the horny growth atop the bird’s head. The casque serves many purposes for the large, flightless bird, native to northeastern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
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Here's one of my photos from elephant's Fall 2008 ecofashion shoot at CU Boulder, featuring Mission Playground, NAU, Texture, El Naturalista, Earth.
Fashion is all about bringing hotness back, so here’s a little peek into the ele-archives, the good old ecofashion days. I miss working with all these talented designers, make-up and hair artists, models, and art directors. Now I’m just fermenting good ideas for future shoots—can’t wait!
And here’s Alex’s video of the shoot!
Elephant Eco Fashion 2007 from Waylon Lewis on Vimeo.
April 2, 2010-This sign marks a northern boundary of the Navajo Reservation.
One of my BU journalism professors says photos of signs suck. In his opinion, a good photo shouldn’t rely on words someone else printed, stamped or scrawled on a surface for content. But I think this is an exception. Not that it’s a great photo, it’s not. But driving into Navajo territory is like entering another country. When you cross the border, you depart a money-driven, western world that views clean running water and electricity as human rights, and enter a country shaped by sacred stories, traditional values, fast food chains and an insatiable energy industry. English is spoken of course, but only out of necessity.
As I stumble through this culture, clearly white, priveleged and out of place, I’m constantly reminded that a sense of humor is key when it comes to ignorantly breaking taboos left and right. A sense of humor on both sides.
Here are some random photos from my recent adventures…
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