Senator Gaylord Nelsen's Idea Realized
This Sunday on April 22nd. people across the world will come together and
participate in Earth Day 2012 to share in their appreciation for our planet. It
is a time for us with different beliefs and cultures to stand united with one
common goal, the protection of our home, the Earth.
Earth Day evolved
over 40 years ago and was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelsen, under the
administration of President Kennedy for the purpose of getting the environment
in to the political agenda. Since 1962, Senator Nelsen's idea has grown in to a
world wide event and today in 2012 is even timelier with the significance on
coming together for our sustainable future.
http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html
In my appreciation of Earth Day 2012, I would like to take a look at a few of my
favorite places that might not be preserved as they are today had it not been
for the efforts of conservationists like Senator Nelsen.
White Sands National Monument is located in south central New Mexico. Standing
at an elevation of 4235 feet (1291 m) the white gypsum crystal sand dunes
comprise an area of approximately 275-mi²(710-km² ) that is also shared with the
White Sands Missile Range. White Sands National Monument preserves the terrain
and inhabitants that have adapted to this ever changing environment in the
world's largest gypsum dune field.
Death Valley National Park, located in the states of California and Nevada is
the largest national park in the lower 48 states and had been declared an
International Biosphere Reserve, with 95% of the park designated as a wilderness
area.
International Biosphere Reserves are areas that are forecast to have the
most difficult challenges with maintaining and conserving the diversity of the
ecosystem while at the same time meeting the material needs of the growing
population. Known for its extremes, Death Valley is one of the hottest places
in the summer with an elevation that ranges from the saltpan at 282 feet (86 m)
below sea level to the sub-alpine conditions found on the summit of Telescope
Peak, which rises to 11,049 feet (3,368 m).
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located the Mojave Desert and
is approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of the sprawling city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 1990, special legislation changed the status of the Red Rock Recreation Lands
to a National Conservation Area, which provides funds to maintain and protect
the 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) as a National Conservation Area. A one-way 13 mile
(21 km) long paved loop road provides access to the colorful topography of large
red rock formations and sandstone peaks that make up the 3,000 feet (910 m) high
canyon walls.
With the growing world wide population, as we use more
and more of our natural resources, I believe the responsibility for our
sustainable future must come from all of the Earth's citizens. Not only are we
responsible for handing down a legacy of natural wonders to future generations
but also for nurturing our planet in order that it will sustain us for
generations to come.
With my Nikon and tripod, my goal is to recreate the scene as it appears in nature, to preserve in a photographic image the awesome, yet simplistic beauty of the scene that waits around a bend or over a hill. Sometimes it's a colorful landscape, and many times I'm allowed in the presence of the numerous creatures that adapt to life in the wild.
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