New Looks at Nature
Welcome to our annual photo issue. Nature conservation and photography have a powerful connection. They have developed together since the advent of the first camera. In the earliest years, the pioneers of nature photography wrestled unwieldy and temperamental stilted cameras into the wild. In the 1890s, finding wilderness was easy in the vast tracts of unspoiled land throughout North America. Today, photography is much easier, but finding unspoiled wilds is much harder.
The natural and powerful symbiosis between photography and conservation is the reason why the Canadian Wildlife Federation is so involved in and supportive of nature photography. This organization has long recognized the value of images to inspire and motivate people of all backgrounds and perspectives to care — and to act on that care to ensure the conservation of our natural heritage. More than a decade ago we introduced the Reflections of Nature photo contest in our first effort to inspire amateur nature photographers, giving them an outlet for their craft, while at the same time providing our organization with a bank of stunning images with which to inspire a nation. It was the same recognition of the power of imagery to inspire people that hatched the beloved Hinterland Who’s Who videos during the 1960s, an effort that CWF continues today.
Over time, this commitment to nature photography has grown into one of the federation’s signature outreach efforts, with ongoing monthly and annual photo contests in which people from across the country share their photos and, with them, their appreciation and care for wildlife. The beauty of this is that they inspire more care for nature in all who see the photos. I hope this year’s finalists and winners will move you to grab your camera (or your phone) and take photos of the wildlife that inspires you. You can submit your favourites to one of our contests, and we will share them with CWF supporters from coast to coast to coast through our website. It is a win-win-win.
As we embark on a new year and a new decade, I draw your attention to an article about a complex and challenging issue confronting the whole country: the ongoing loss of fish habitat. The effects could be catastrophic. It just so happens Fisheries and Oceans Canada is reviewing its policies and practices over the next year. The time is ripe then for a new way of thinking about this complicated problem. This topic is so important, I asked the magazine’s editorial team to help us get the story out to our supporters. The article, on page 14, lays out the problems and introduces some new ways of thinking about practical, actionable solutions. I encourage you to read and share this important article with friends, and to pass your concerns on to your elected representatives. We need to solve this.