I am quite honored to learn that my image of woman sitting within a giant western redcedar stump in the Klanawa Valley has received an Honorable Mention in the 'Conservation Imagery' category of the 2014 Big Picture: Natural World Photography Competition hosted by the California Academy of Sciences. The contest, which saw 6,300 submissions and included judges from the iLCP, will spotlight the work of professional conservation photographers from 12 countries around the globe. The exhibition runs from August 1 - November 2, 2014 at the California Academy of Sciences in San Fransisco, one of the largest natural history museums in the world. It's truly exciting for me every time an image from a remote area gets the chance to reach such a large audience. I love the old-growth forests of the Klanawa, where this stump was found, but they're disappearing at an alarming rate each year. Hopefully with this we move another inch closer to seeing them saved. For those curious, below is map showing the exact location of the stump on southwestern Vancouver Island.
Climbing Big Lonely Doug, Canada's Second Largest Douglas-fir Tree
Last month I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life - I climbed Big Lonely Doug, Canada's second largest Douglas-fir tree. See the photo gallery here. I've long dreamed to reach the canopies of these living skyscrapers, to be a part of that seemingly unreachable world which hides so many of the forests secrets. So the Ancient Forest Alliance teamed up with the Arboreal Collective, a group of professional tree climbers working to help highlight, research, and document BC's biggest trees and endangered old-growth forests. Using careful rope techniques, they go to extreme lengths to minimize any potential impact on the trees themselves. The first day was spent photographing the climbers setting the initial lines with the Big Shot sling shot and making the first-ever ascents. On the second day it was my turn to go up and WOW - what an incredibly surreal feeling! I felt like a tiny pine cone swaying in the breeze - the sheer size of the tree almost impossible to comprehend. Measuring in at 66m (216ft) tall, 12m (39ft) in circumference, and 4m (13ft) in diameter, Doug is massive. Sitting near the top, it was humbling to think for how long this gentle giant has stood the test of time watching over this valley, planting it's roots deeper day-by-day, for upwards of a thousand years. Our visit was but the briefest blip in his very long life. But looking around the tree at the clearcut and giant stumps from 2012, it was quite evident the impact that humans can have in a short period of time. 75% of Vancouver Island's productive old-growth forests have been logged including 90% of the valley bottoms. 99% of the old-growth Douglas-fir trees on BC's coast have also been logged. To help with research into these rare forests, we brought back small soil & moss samples for entomologists who will look for new species of spiders, insects, and mites. I hope that the images that from this climb and future initiatives to document the largest trees and grandest groves in BC will help to raise awareness around the world about these highly endangered ecosystems. The BC government must act now to save our last unprotected ancient forests.
Photo gallery: www.tjwatt.com/big-lonely-doug-climb
Video clips: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxPlKVK8RLM
News articles:
• AFA Media Release: Tree Climbers Scale 'Big Lonely Doug,' Canada's 2nd Largest Douglas-fir Tree, Highlighting BC's Endangered Old-Growth Forests
• Globe and Mail: Big Lonely Doug: Canada's loneliest tree still waiting on help
• Huffington Post: Tree Climbers scale Canada's 2nd Largest Douglas-Fir
• Times Colonist: Tree climbers scale Big Lonely Doug
• Metro News: Climbers scale Canada's 'Big Lonely Doug'
World Environment Day - 2014
Yesterday was my 30th birthday and today marks World Environment Day - a great time to reflect on the course of my own life and that of the natural world. Resolving to continue working harder than ever towards the protection of endangered old-growth ecosystems across BC while also maintaining a sustainable personal life, filled with friends & family and love & respect for this fragile planet we call home!
Shortlisted for 2014 Environmental Photographer of the Year Exhibit
I'm honored and excited to have an image shortlisted for the 2014 Atkins CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year competition which will be exhibiting this summer at the Royal Geographical Society in London and around national forest venues across England. The photo selected is of a logged and burnt old-growth forest which I shot in January of this year in the Klanawa Valley, located in a remote region of southwestern Vancouver Island. Upon arriving there it truly looked like a scene from the end of the world - a lush green rainforest, now a barren and blackened landscape. I'm happy to know this image will now help bring attention to the world abroad about the ongoing destruction of British Columbia’s last endangered old-growth forests. Read more on the topic here.
Full Moon Rise - Cattle Point
Tonight's full moon rising through camas flowers at Cattle Point.
Defend Our Climate: March for an Oil-Free Coast!
It was great to join the thousands of citizens this past Saturday who were standing in solidarity against the destructive pipelines and tankers that threaten to devastate BC's coast with spills and further accelerate climate change. Here are a few of my photos from the rally that took place in Victoria during the National Day of Action, including the main group shot I took of the crowd.
Big Lonely Doug featured in Canadian Wildlife Magazine
Excited to see "Big Lonely Doug", Canada's second largest Douglas-fir, featured in the May/June 2014 issue of Canadian Wildlife Magazine. That's me standing beside it for scale! I had noticed the giant tree standing alone in an old-growth clearcut near Port Renfrew a couple of years ago but only recently, during a trip to officially measure it, was its record size revealed. Now it's famous, albeit still alone..
Big Lonely Doug dimensions:
- Height: 70.2 meters or 230 feet
- Circumference: 11.91 meters or 39 feet
- Diameter: 3.91 meters or 12.4 feet
- Canopy Spread: 18.33 meters or 60.1 feet
Earth Day 2014 - New Website Launch!
Happy Earth Day 2014! This is one of the most significant days of the year for the planet and I'm excited to have it coincide with the launch of my new personal website featuring nature and conservation photography from across British Columbia. My position as a campaigner and photographer for the Ancient Forest Alliance affords me the time to thoroughly explore the back-roads of Vancouver Island in an effort to document both the beauty and destruction of our endangered old-growth forests. About 75% of the original, productive old-growth forests have already been logged on BC’s southern coast, including over 90% of the valley-bottoms where the largest trees grow and the richest biodiversity is found (see maps). A provincial plan to protect the province’s old-growth forests, to ensure sustainable second-growth forestry, and to end the export of raw, unprocessed logs to foreign mills is urgently needed. Through frequent updates on this website and blog I hope to continually shed new light on these issues by sharing compelling images, stories, and discoveries from the ground. I hope you'll join me on the adventure. -TJ
