Photographs reveal the splendor of the Santa Clara River
By Alex Wilson 10/16/2008
A photography exhibit at the Fillmore Library illustrates the beauty of the Santa Clara River and threats to its natural habitat.
The exhibit, called Wildlands of the Santa Clara River Watershed, is organized by South Coast Wildlands, a charity devoted to protecting wildlife corridors that allow animals and birds to get around California.
Their Conservation Director Kristeen Penrod says the Santa Clara River is a biological hot spot that provides a habitat for many species.
“The Santa Clara River is one of the last remaining wild rivers in Southern California. From its headwaters to the ocean, it’s relatively wild, and there are a lot of tributaries that provide opportunity for movement for numerous species,” says Penrod.
“It’s really one of the critical wildlife corridors in Southern California.”
Most of the photos were taken by Santa Monica-based photographer Andrew M. Harvey, who owns a company called Visual Journeys that provides pictures to environmental groups to help them with their conservation missions. He also produces visual effects for Hollywood movies like the blockbuster Titanic and the recent Steven Spielberg production Eagle Eye.
Harvey says some of the pictures depict beautiful vistas of flowing water, trees and rugged mountains, but others show threats to the habitat such as damage from off-road vehicles and extensive development along the river.
“The pictures depict the landscape of the Santa Clara River and also identify some of the activities and concerns within the watershed,” says Harvey. “I think there’s been an insane and unprecedented amount of development along the Santa Clara
River watershed. The development that’s occurred in that area is really profound.”
Harvey aims to raise awareness with the photographs he’s displaying.
“What I hope they take away is that we need to live in harmony with the world around us and that sometimes allowing natural processes to occur without interfering with them, such as damming a river or building in the river’s watershed, will ultimately give us far more benefit than trying to develop those areas for economic gain.”
The exhibit runs between Oct. 16 and Nov. 6. The library is located at 502 Second St. and is open between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday; 2-7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesdays.
A reception planned for Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. will include talks about the river’s ecological significance. Penrod says the reception will also feature a presentation of live animals that call the river home.
“There will be a number of native species brought, like maybe a bobcat, barn owl or red-tailed hawk. We’ll talk about their habitat requirements and ways that residents at the urban-wildland interface can live as stewards, and have them as neighbors, and maintain their population so that future generations can see those species,” says Penrod
South Coast Wildlands Executive Director Lynn Sadler hopes people are inspired to protect the watershed after seeing the beautiful pictures.
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and these photographs, which are art-quality, are worth many thousands of words because they are so beautifully executed,” says Sadler “It’s an area that’s facing development pressures, so it’s important that people understand exactly what the value of that watershed is as they make decisions about how they’re going to live their lives and build their communities.”
Please contact Outdoor Observer with details and contact information about environmental events, volunteer opportunities and adventure sports at outdoors@vcreporter.com.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT