Defenders of Wildlife Blog

The last light was fading fast from the sky when the first three trailers arrived. Gale force winds were ripping through the high plains, and the thermometer had dropped well below  freezing. Still, I was incredibly excited and gratified to be part of the small gathering with Fort Peck tribal members  to witness a historic homecoming and tremendous win for wildlife.

It was so worth it to spend  almost the entire day yesterday traveling from Washington, D.C. to eastern Montana, for the return of wild bison to the Great Plains. I watched in awe last night as the tribal wildlife manager flipped the latch of the first trailer, opened the door, and out roared the first two wild bison from Yellowstone National Park, storming back onto the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

One of the Yellowstone bison emerging from a trailer into a corral at Fort Peck Indian Reservation in eastern Montana.

The bison had spent all day as well, traveling  about 500 miles from a quarantine facility just outside Yellowstone, where some of them had been  for more than five years. But last night, they were finally set free where they truly belong in their new home.

In total, about 60 genetically pure, wild bison completed the journey. These are some of the only descendants of the historic herds that once roamed the Great Plains by the millions, and they are the first Yellowstone bison ever to be relocated to the Great Plains—the heart of their historic range– to start new herds.

Half of them will soon be moved to the nearby Fort Belknap Reservation once fencing is completed there. Both reservations will manage their new herds sustainably as a valuable cultural resource for the tribes.

Defenders has been able to work closely with the tribes to help bring Yellowstone bison to Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Reservations. Over the last few years, we’ve helped the tribes secure grazing permits to convert tribal land from cattle grazing to bison, paid for wildlife-friendly fencing, and lobbied with them against bad bills in the state legislature. We even chipped in for trailers to help transport the bison from Yellowstone.

But our work here isn’t finished yet. We’ve already committed resources to help the tribes at Fort Belknap, hopefully the next release site, put up fencing around their bison pastures this spring and summer. And in coming years, we’ll be helping the tribes set aside more of their lands  to expand the areas where bison can roam free.

Mike Leahy, Jonathan Proctor, Fort Peck Fish & Game Director Robbie Magnan and Jamie Rappaport Clark at the bison corral (left to right).

Incredible wildlife moments like these leave an indelible mark that will stay with me forever. As I listened to those bison hooves cantering around  on the prairie last evening,  I was reminded how fortunate I am to lead an organization like Defenders. I am also gratified and thankful for the many Defenders donors who have been with us on this long journey to restore bison to their native lands in northeast Montana and have so generously supported us along the trail.

I feel truly honored to have been able to share this incredible conservation achievement with the Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, and Sioux tribes of Fort Peck and Fort Belknap. I also want to thank Gov. Schweitzer and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for their leadership with bison restoration. Their persistence and perseverance has ensured that future generations of Americans will be able to witness magnificent wild bison out on the range once again.

Even though there is less than a week to go in Defenders’ photo contest you’ve still got plenty of time to submit your photos! You may have already seen my previous post featuring some of last year’s wild lands photo finalists and winners so for this post I wanted to show you some of the amazing wildlife photos from last year. They are all the way at the bottom so make sure to scroll all the way down.  Enjoy!

However, to tantalize you even more I’ve spoken to Jess Lee, who will be the grand prize winner’s expedition leader on the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons photo tour, in order to give our contestants a sneak peek at what they can expect to see and experience while there.

1) What types of wildlife can our grand prize winner expect to see on your week long photo tour of Yellowstone and the Tetons in the fall?

We will be photographing, elk, pronghorn, moose, deer, coyotes for sure. No guarantees,  but we will have a good chance of seeing black bears, grizzlies and wolves.

2) You offer tours year round, what is your favorite thing about each tour based on season? What will you have our grand prize winner and other tour members on the fall tour especially looking for?

Each tour or workshop gives a unique perspective to the location and its inhabitants. The trips are chosen  to be during a prime time for that location. Good examples would be our Alaska grizzly workshops. We go to Lake Clark AK just at the end of the breeding season. This is when the flowers are just starting to bloom and the sow brown bears feel comfortable enough to bring their new cubs into places we can photograph them safely. Later in the year we go to a different location for the bears feeding on spawning salmon. On this trip we charter a boat so we can go where the salmon run is the best because this is where  larger concentrations of bears will most likely be. We stay flexible and are not locked into one location. Same with the wild horse workshop; we time the trip when the foaling season and the breeding season is at a peak. This provides a great deal of action and variety of subjects. It also doesn’t hurt that this is the time with the arid lands of the west are greening up and flowering.

During our fall Yellowstone Tetons trip one of the big attractions is the autumn colors and dramatic landscape. But of course that is a given  in this unsurpassed ecosystem. The subject that we will key on will be the elusive animals than live in the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons Parks. The wolf in autumn is always difficult. Their prey is in its best condition of the year and the wolves have near adult sized pups to feed. Pups that still need to be taught the skill to be efficient hunters. This keeps the wolves on the move and very mobile. With plenty of preliminary scouting and my knowledge of the patterns of the packs we will have a good chance of photographing wolves. Much the same can be said with grizzlies. With the decline of the white bark pines an important late summer/autumn food source is being diminished. That means the bears will be searching for different food sources that could force them to lower elevations during the fall. Again scouting will be the key.

3) What are the things you try to get your photographers to come away with as you mentor them on these trips – could be either a mentality or a learned skill as you guide and work with them.  What is the number one thing you try to impart on them or the number one thing you hope people will take away with them from all your trips?

I always want my students to come away with great images they would not have captured if they were on their own; but in addition, I want them to learn the “why” of what we are doing; not only the mechanics of exposure, depth of field, composition, and special techniques which are taught in the field but the more important aspects of how to approach each subject without causing stress. I want my students to begin to understand the behavior of each animal we are capturing in our photos and how to recognize what the animal may do next so we can be prepared for those fleeting moments that make truly great images. My goal is to give my students a good understanding of how significant the animals relationship and survival is tied to what we as humans do to it’s habitat.

4) What is your favorite animal to photograph on your tour?  Which is the hardest to photograph?

Wolves for both!

But that’s just me. During a workshop its all about the clients interests. I really enjoy the variety of interest each new group of clients brings. For some it will be the elk bugling in the misty soft morning light along the Madison River or the prize of locating a good bull moose. For others it will be capturing the speedy pronghorn chasing off rivals during the mating season or those often short times spent following a river otter along the banks of the Yellowstone.

5) Can you give our contestants a brief overview of the grand prize tour?

Autumn is a great time to be in the Yellowstone/Grand Tetons country. It is a time of change from the easy lazy days of summer to the frenzy of mating seasons for most of the prey animals opposed the need for the predators to put on reserves to make it though the coming lean time . This along with the changing of the autumn foliage, crisp mornings with warm days and a chance of fresh snow make autumn a exhilarating time to be in this unique land.

Thanks again Jess! Click here to get more info on the grand prize photo tour or check out any of Jess’ other tours!

And now for your viewing pleasure here are some of the top wildlife photos from last year’s contest.  Enjoy!

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

Black Ant and Curve

Eyes of Innocence

Baby Harp Seal --photo taken on the ice flows off the Magdelene Islands (Nova Scotia).

Grizzly on the Chase

A grizzly bear chasing salmon in the river at Katmai National Park in Alaska.

Adelie Penguins, Antarctica

I photograped these Adelie Penguins jumping onto an Iceberg on the Antarctic Peninsula

Pink Wings

This was taken at the Viera Wetlands in Florida. I thought spoonbills were the only pink birds in Florida, however, I discovered that if you can get the right light and conditions a backlit cattle egret's wings will turn a beautiful shade of pink.

The winking deer

Winking roe deer in a cornfield on a very hot summers evening. The wink came from bugs that were flying around him.

Leopard on the Hunt

Leopard in Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana

Evenly Matched

Two male tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) sparring during the fall rut in Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

Cattle Egret with a Big Stick

Shot taken locally at the Dot Dash Rookery in Bradenton Florida. This Cattle Egret was in breeding plumage, just came back with a big stick as building materials. It was starring at me. Handholding while standing in the salt water.

Harbor Seal

This Monterey Bay bathing beauty, a Harbor Seal, was seen lounging on her perch between the Hopkins Marine Laboratory and Lovers Point, Pacific Grove, CA on July 23, 2010.

The Pollinator

A honeybee is loaded with pollen as he picks up more pollen int the bloom of a wild Moonflower plant, Grand Island, Nebraska

Red Fox

Red fox at Yellowstone Park (US)

African Lioness

How fortunate for me while on safari to come across a pride of lions with adorable cubs. And yes....there is always one cub who seems to take center stage!

The Guest Speaker

Red-lip parrotfish commonly graze the reef but rarely approach in the water column. This gregarious parrot came out of the blue, curious and engaging. Parrotfish are a lynchpin species, generating sand and coral substrate by grazing, yet they are being wiped out by speargunners on scuba or hooka at night, when the parrots sleep in a mucous cocoon. The State of Hawaii has "scoped" the problem for years. Parrotfish are rapidly declining from prioritized commercial interests.

Pine Martin

This photo of a Pine Martin was taken in Silver Gate Montana.

Where is your favorite place to take scenic photos? Domestically? Internationally? On top of the world?  Over the last few years we have gotten some incredible submissions in our Wild Lands category for the photo contest and we are hoping the trend continues again this year. Below are some of the top submissions in the Wild Lands category from last year.  Enjoy the photos and head to www.defenders.org/photocontest to submit your own!

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

Damnation Creek Trail

This picture was taken on the descent of the Damnation Creek Trail in the Redwoods National Park.

Smoky Sunset

Taken at Oxbow Bend near the Grand Tetons. A fire caused smoke to obscure the sunset and changed the sky into a gorgeous pink and the mountains into grey. Just as I was going to snap the shot, the moose wandered into the stream to drink.

Tundra Color

Tundra From Highway 3, Alaska

Moonrise

Reflection in Rain Puddle above Black Lake - Rocky Mountain National Park

Painted Hills

Painted Hills, John Day National Monument

Deadvlei

Taken at Deadvlei (Dead Place) near Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, Namibia

Vik

A black sand beach in Vik, Iceland at dusk.

El Capitan in fog

El Capitan - Yosemite Valley, CA

Iceberg, Antarctica

This iceberg is located at the Antarctic Peninsula

Mammoth Hot Springs Winter

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park

Today is the official start of Defenders of Wildlife’s 3rd annual photo contest. Over the last two years we have had some truly amazing photographs submitted as photographers of all skill levels compete for our grand prize; a week long photo tour with renowned conservationist and wildlife photographer Jess Lee as he takes you through Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons on one of his signature photo tours. I was fortunate enough to talk with last year’s grand prize winner, Jim Chagares, about his grand prize trip with Jess Lee, his views on conservation, and how he was fortunate enough to snap his grand prize winning photograph.  You can visit www.defenders.org/photocontest for submission guidelines, rules, and photo submissions as well as check our FAQ section for some answers to the most common questions we’ve run into in previous contests.  The contest runs from February 15th – March 15th and best of luck to everyone who enters. We here at Defenders are looking forward to another great contest!

How long have you been a photographer?

I have been a photographer all my life. I opened my photography business in 1988. Prior to that I was a musician and taught elementary school 14 years. In 1988, I joined Professional Photographers of America and began studying with the finest photographers in the world. Shortly after joining Professional Photographers of America I received my Master of Photographers Degree and this year became one of only 111 to hold the Fellowship Degree from American Society of Photographers.

How did you manage to get the shot of the bear with her cubs?

This was my second trip to Katmai in Alaska to photograph Brown Bear. While there the most exciting thing is to photograph mothers with cubs. I have photographed several with one, two or three cubs but this was certainly a special treat to find a mother with quadruplets. The interaction between the cubs and mother and cubs was the best. Never a dull moment. I was able to capture several sequences while they were nursing but this was by far the most unusual pose.

Can you tell me a little about the photography tour with Jess Lee?  How was Jess as a tour leader and what were some of the highlights of your trip?

Traveling and getting to know Jess was a great experience. His knowledge of photography and his images are second to none. He was fun to be with as were the others in the workshop. We photographed the scenery, elk, bison, wolves, coyote, eagles, moose, foxes, big horned sheep and more.

What are your views on conservation of our natural places and wildlife?

The National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges are by far the best thing for the preservation of our wildlife and scenery. Protecting and managing the wildlife along with limiting housing developments on this land is paramount.

Why do you support Defenders of Wildlife?

It is important to help Defenders of Wildlife lobby for the protection of our wildlife. They are the voice of the people toward the preservation of endangered species as well as all species. I enjoy their informative website and blog emails with articles about so many diverse species. Their magazine is full of great articles and pictures.

What is your favorite place to photograph and why?

My favorite place for wildlife photography is Yellowstone/Tetons National Parks. The scenery is also spectacular. I spend two to three weeks there each winter, spring and fall. I also love to photograph birds in Florida. Each year I photograph the warbler migration at Magee Marsh on Lake Erie and Point Peele in Canada. The Brown Bear in Katmai National Park in Alaska is certainly one of the greatest experiences ever.

What is next on your photographing agenda?  Any cool trips planned?

This January I went to Canada to photograph a Great Gray Owl for five days. I just returned from the Mississippi River where I spent time photographing eagles. I leave on Tuesday for two week in Yellowstone. In March I am traveling to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to photography birds. The first of May I will again photograph the warbler migration on Lake Erie. The last week of May and September I will be returning to Yellowstone. July will be Loons with chicks in Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada. October will be filled with Wood Ducks in northern Ohio.

On a chilly bright blue sky day on top of the Vermillion Cliffs in northern Arizona, I finally got to see first-hand the results of a project I worked on while at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the late 1990s.  I stood on the edge of the cliffs with colleagues from Defenders and conservation partners from AZ Fish and Game and The Peregrine Fund watching critically endangered California condors soaring in the wind updrafts and sitting on boulders sunning themselves in the crisp morning’s sun.  They are certainly spectacular birds. Until you actually see one of these massive creatures on the wing, it’s hard to truly visualize just how incredible these birds are and how precarious their future still is.  They are almost magical to watch as they ride the thermals against the strikingly severe cliff sides near the Grand Canyon.

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

Condors

Condors

Condor 011

Condor soaring

Condors in flight

Condor flying

Condor soaring

Condor 017

Condors on netting

Condors on netting

Condor

Condor taking flight

Condor taking flight

Condors

Jamie Rappaport Clark

Defenders CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark watches condors soaring

Condors perching

Condor perched on Vermillion Cliffs

Condor perched on Vermillion Cliffs

Condors

Condors perched on Vermillion Cliffs

Condors perched on Vermillion Cliffs

Vermillion Cliffs

Vermillion Cliffs

Condor Wingspan

Display showing the wingspan of a condor

Jamie Rappaport Clark

Though there have been some birds now born in the wild since the original releases from captivity over a decade ago, most still wear the obvious brand of human help in the form of tags and transmitters to track their movements in northern Arizona and southern Utah.   It is only with significant human support that we are making headway in returning these incredible flying creatures back to their rightful place in the wild.  All of the birds now in the wild still require supplemental feeding and are monitored regularly to manage the leading ongoing cause of their deaths today; the ingestion of lead from carcasses and gut piles of animals hunted throughout their range.  As carrion eaters (consumers of dead animals), the lead often left behind by hunters in carcasses or gut piles is ingested during feeding and accumulates quickly to deadly levels in the birds.  If we are seeing it at such high levels on an ongoing basis in condors, just imagine all the other wildlife that feed in a similar fashion.  It is abundantly clear that lead and wildlife are not a good mix for long term survival and sustainability.

AZ Game and Fish and The Peregrine Fund have been working diligently through voluntary ammunition swap programs (free exchanging of lead bullets for copper or steel).  In addition, they have an around the clock program of supplemental feeding and monitoring of the birds’ lead levels with intervention by trapping and treatment to remove lead from the systems of those birds most affected.  Regardless, the condor population overall is still in real trouble.

Though there has been a positive response from hunters with the ammunition swap out program in Arizona, there is no such opportunity in Utah and that makes recovery of the condor all the more complicated and frustrating.   The birds range from their “home base” at the Vermillion Cliffs but are now flying further and further away into Utah where there are no controls or incentives to use other than lead shot while hunting.  Until the lead is out of ammunition used to hunt wildlife, it will continue to be a labor intensive uphill battle to save the condors.

It’s time for ammunition manufacturers to step up and do what was done for waterfowl decades ago.  Conversion away from lead should not affect hunter success, but it will do a world of good for condors and other critters.  The science is clear, now we need to encourage manufacturers and hunters to step up.

The FWP Commissioners listen to Fort Peck Tribal Chairman Floyd Azure’s testimony.

A meeting to remember

Attending day-long meetings of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission isn’t usually at the top of my list of favorite things to do. But last Friday was one meeting that I simply couldn’t miss. The Commission was finally considering a proposal to relocate 68 bison from a quarantine facility near Yellowstone National Park where they’ve been held for more than five years to two tribal reservations in northeast Montana.

For years, Defenders has been pushing state wildlife managers to give the bison to the tribes, and this was our last chance to show our support. When it was my turn to testify, I told the commission that although we cannot return to the past when tens of millions of bison roamed the Great Plains, surely there are at least a few places to restore genetically pure wild bison. These two reservations stand ready and willing; this is an offer we should not refuse.

The bison of Yellowstone National Park are some of the only genetically pure wild bison left, and the Assiniboine, Gros Ventre and Sioux tribes of these two reservations have long wished for their return. Giving the bison to the tribes would mark the beginning of efforts to restore new conservation herds of these important bison to the heart of their historic range in the Great Plains.

Although we cannot return to the past when tens of millions of bison roamed the Great Plains, surely there are at least a few places to restore genetically pure wild bison.

Several Defenders’ Montana members spoke in support of the plan too, as did other local Montanans and tribal members as well.

“These majestic animals have played a very significant part in the history, religion, and the culture of our native people of the fort peck reservation,” said Floyd Azure, Fort Peck Reservation Tribal Council Chairman, as reported by the Associated Press. “These bison have sustained our ancestors for thousands of years and they are in need of us of returning the favor. We are here to make sure they will always be here for our children.”

The proposal seemed like a no-brainer to us, and the majority of people testifying supported the move. But some came to testify in opposition, including commissioners from counties near the reservations and some local landowners who fear the bison will escape and damage their fences and property. Despite these objections, the Commission voted unanimously to approve the plan.

The 22,000-acre bison reserve at Fort Belknap awaits genetically pure bison. In 2012, Defenders will assist the tribe with improvements to fencing in preparation for these bison.

Over the past several years, Defenders has helped Fort Peck and Fort Belknap expand the size of their designated bison reserves (currently 4,800 acres and 22,000 acres, respectively) and purchase the required fencing in preparation for return of these bison. We continue to raise funds to help finish the job, and will continue to help expand the bison reserves as opportunities arise in the future.

The next step is for the state and tribal governments to complete and sign agreements. This could take a few weeks to a few months. Then, the tribes are planning a “welcome home” ceremony for their return.

When that happens, we’ll be one step closer to the true restoration of wild bison to their historic stomping grounds.