Rain?

The parched mangrove flats region of Taylor River in Everglades National Park

While South Florida waits for the summer rains, I’ve been enjoying heading out to my favorite backcountry locations to see how the prolonged dry season continues to reshape the landscape. Places that I could normally access by motorboat have now limited me to using a push pole or kayak.

Shallow sediment flats of Florida Bay along the Bob Keys

On Florida Bay, even the tides seem to become a little more drastic as the river of grass has turned into a mere trickle, limiting the supply of freshwater expelled into the bay.

Rolling rain clouds over Florida Bay off Flamingo point in Everglades National Park

Still, big thunderheads and towering cumulous clouds develop in the early mornings and late afternoons. And just when we think we’re getting the first big rains, after only a few hours the storm passes and we’re left with just the afterthought of a summer that never seems to come.

Venture Out! Beta Project

I always flipped through REI or Patagonia magazines thinking, “man, how do these people get to do this stuff?” I mean, here I was hiking in the woods, swimming in the springs, rappelling down cliffs too, why didn’t I ever get a call to test out their gear? Well, someone must have heard my silent gripes, because last month I was given the opportunity to be an official tester for Columbia Sportswear along with Adam Chasey and Garl Harrold of Garl’s Coastal Kayaking.

Their new product, Insect Blocker is a type of cloth that is designed to keep biting insects from biting through your shirt or pants while in wetland areas. Columbia figured that since we spent the majority of our time in the Everglades and swamps of Florida that we would be perfect candidates.

From what I’ve found, keeping insects at bay is one of the toughest tasks in the Everglades, especially in the summer. Bug suits are stuffy and may as well be portable saunas as they’re terrible for keeping you cool. Lightweight shirts are often too lightweight and the bigger deer flies and mosquitoes can bite right through the gaps. So, Columbia designed a shirt that would breathe while offering protection through some brilliant way of infusing permethryn with the fabric.

The research and development center at Columbia gave us one month to test out the shirt and pants, asking our opinions along the way. After a month, Kristen Strott, head of R&D at Columbia and Mark Going, photographer for the company, booked a flight from their office in Oregon to come and see for themselves how the gear fared in the Everglades.

They specifically asked us to take them camping in the most brutal and blood-draining hostile place we could think of, so we picked Alligator Creek in the salt marsh of Everglades National Park. We planned to paddle the 7 miles to the campsite and stay one night amidst the noseeums, deer flies, and mosquitoes to put the gear and ourselves through the ringer. While I was a little uneasy about this type of masochism I was incredibly stoked that a clothing company would invest this much time and effort into making sure their product worked before putting it on the shelves.

Now, I’m not allowed to reveal too much about Insect Blocker, but what I will say is that it’s not a magical forcefield. It works where the clothes are touching and I never once felt overheated. Yes, good old fashion bug repellant works too – but honestly, our skin is a porous living thing, and I avoid putting that stuff on at all costs. I mean seriously, it melts plastic.

While it was fun romping around for Columbia, it was even more rewarding to show a couple Oregonians a few of the reasons why we live, love, and breathe the Everglades. Here’s video I put together of our trip. I hope you enjoy it!

Venture Out! Beta Project from Mac Stone on Vimeo.

Quick Trip

Camilo Lopez braves one of the waterfalls on the outskirts of Pico Bonito National Park

What a whirlwind. I feel like I was just packing to go to Honduras and after a full week of exploring, waterfall climbing, camping, soccer, swimming, and hanging out with my old students along the Cangrejal River my head is still spinning trying to process everything that happened. As soon as I can get some time to breathe, I will process the images and put together some videos and slideshows to share with you. Until then, you’ll just have to wait!

La Cuenca

Cangrejal River in Las Mangas, Honduras

I’m so excited to be back in Honduras and staying in my old village Las Mangas along the Cangrejal River. I have about a week to be here and there’s so much I have to catch up on after having left three years ago. While it’s hard to be certain of anything in the Cangrejal watershed, there are a few things I think I can count on. I know I’m going to eat a bunch of beans and tortillas, I know I’m going to swim in the river, I know I’m going to go camping, and I know I’m going to hurt myself in some way. I can only hope that the weather the stays clear, that I don’t really hurt myself, and that I finally get that bot fly I always wanted, felt I deserved, and never got. Either way, I’m sure it’s going to be a great adventure.

Happy Mother’s Day!

A mother alligator defends her young in Everglades National Park

While filming the next Venture Out! episode with the Columbia Sportswear team in the Everglades, we came across this American alligator. She was vocally aggressive and we soon noticed that she had 4 hatchlings staying cool under the cut bank, wallowing in the only muddy water left in the cypress dome. Keeping guard on the fringe, hissing with jaws agape and hind legs poised to pounce, she let us know we weren’t welcome. You have to respect her courage, putting her babies first, even when raising them in the toughest of conditions. So this photo goes out to all the mamas out there, in rain or drought, doing their best to make sure their babies grow up. Happy Mother’s Day!

Venture Out! Everglades Invader

A nine-foot Burmese python hides amongst the leaves in an upland hammock

Many of you have heard the stories about pythons taking over the Everglades. While I wish this were another Skunk Ape story hyperbolized by one sighting, for those of us who live and work in the park this is a very real and scary problem. Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are one of the world’s largest snakes and unfortunately have been released into the park. Due to their incredibly high survival rates and south Florida’s favorable climate, their populations have exploded over the last few years. It is estimated that anywhere from 5,000 to 200,000 pythons are currently residing in the Everglades. Research biologists in the park are working hard to find new ways of controlling their numbers.

Trey Kieckhefer, wildlife biologist with the University of Florida

Last week I had the chance to accompany wildlife biologist Trey Kieckhefer to get a better understanding of the problem we’re facing in the Everglades. One of his studies involves implanting a tracking device under the skin of nine pythons and rereleasing them into the park. While this many seem counterproductive to limiting the number of these invasive reptiles, the “Judas Snakes” as they’re called, help lead biologists to other pythons during the breeding season and offer clues as to their behavior in south Florida. Normally when biologists encounter pythons in the field, they take them back to the lab for further research or euthanasia.

Biologists use radio telemetry to track the movements and habits of select pythons

Trey currently holds the record for finding the largest python in the park, at a staggering 16.9 feet. You would think a snake this big would easily be detected by the millions of tourists and workers that pour through the park entrance each year. However, as you will find in my next episode of Venture Out!, regardless of size, the Burmese python is difficult to locate even with radio telemetry and GPS tracking.

Enjoy the video and pray for our Everglades!

Venture Out! Burmese Pythons from Mac Stone on Vimeo.

NPR Interview

Me with Amy Tardif in NPR’s WGCU studio in Ft Myers, FL

This afternoon I drove out to Ft Myers for an interview with National Public Radio’s WGCU member station hosted by Amy Tardif. The topic was Florida’s water and the various uses of multimedia to communicate the importance of maintaining and restoring our state’s compromised hydrology. I spoke for the second half of the program after Clyde Butcher and Elam Stoltzfus. Although it was a long drive to get there, I had a great time talking about the new projects I’m working on for National Audubon and also my ongoing photography portfolio on swamps of the east coast. I’m just happy I didn’t stumble too badly over my words! If you missed the live stream that I linked to on facebook and twitter, you can listen to the audio track here or on my website.

For more information on NPR’s WGCU or to hear the full interview check out their website

Venture Out

Big Cypress National Preserve

What’s better than a weekend in Big Cypress National Preserve? That’s right, TWO weekends in Big Cypress National Preserve! This time I got to go out with two photographer friends Neil Losin, Paul Marcellini, and Garl Harrold from Garl’s Coastal Kayaking.

I just can’t get enough of this place and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to get out and explore this massive, no-admission charged, and utterly remarkable area. If you can’t tell, I’m stoked. Romping around in South Florida’s wilderness is just as effective at recharging my batteries as sleeping in on a rainy Sunday. Actually, that was a terrible analogy. Let me explain it a little better.

Exposed pond apple roots along Robert’s Lake Strand, Big Cypress

Imagine getting off the Florida Trail and delving into unmarked wilderness. Beneath the thick canopy of bald cypress trees and coco plum, lemon bacopa crunches under your feet punching a gentle zest into the gut of the stagnant humidity. Gator trails weave through the mud between stunted pond apples which extend their branches embracing orchids, epiphytes, and strangler figs. At the base of these gothic buttresses, cottonmouths wait to strike anything that crosses its path. After a half mile the gator trail highways converge into one and lead to an opening in the canopy. Following the muddy slough, you come to one of the last remaining water holes. Herons and egrets flush as you approach, trumpeting into the blue sky. In the middle of the shallow pond more than one hundred alligators gather. You have come during their feeding time. Unannounced, they propel out of the water crashing on their side with jaws agape, trashing wildly in the murky mire and chomping victoriously on a catfish. Looking up across the water, a black bear lumbers through the vegetation giving you a short and rare glimpse before disappearing into the cover of the swamp. You hear no roads. You see no sign of civilization. You feel no schedule weighing on your shoulders. The thick black mud squishes between your toes and you’re childishly proud. This is the swamp. This is South Florida.

A water moccasin, or “cottonmouth” bares its fangs to warn predators

I want all of you to see this first hand, and it’s not just this one strand in Big Cypress. I want you to come along on all my adventures to see the discoveries that exploration brings. My sofa isn’t big enough for all of you, so instead, I’ve opted to create a video series to let you in on the action. I’m new at this, so I’ll learn as I go, but if you can disregard my quirky remarks and childish giggle, I hope you’ll enjoy Venture Out. Here’s the first episode:

Venture Out: Big Cypress from Mac Stone on Vimeo.

A Gator Tale

American alligator in Big Cypress National Preserve

This past weekend, I met up with a photographer friend Paul Marcellini in Big Cypress National Preserve to explore and photograph some new areas. Making sure to stay as far from the trail as possible, we used Paul’s iPhone to navigate through the maze of cypress domes, praying that he wouldn’t run out of service as we pushed deeper and deeper into unknown territories. At the tail end of the dry season, we expected to cover a lot of ground since we wouldn’t have to slog through any blackwater. We set our bearings for gator holes which we knew would be the only places with water and of course, american alligators. Little did we know, however, that from start to finish we would cover all facets of an alligator’s life.

Tamiami trail is known for its deep canal that runs along the the northern side of the road and provides perfect basking habitat for american alligators. Every once in a while a brave gator will try to cross the road. Sadly, some of the locals see this as sport and will jokingly refer to them as speed bumps. Accidents do happen, but it’s hard to imagine a 10 foot alligator coming out of nowhere.

Another “speed bump” along the road. It’s a sad thing to see, but a

reality on Tamiami Trail where both cars and alligators are abundant.

By the time we got to our starting point the sun was high enough in the sky that we didn’t expect to shoot much in the cypress domes. Although 8:00 is by no means too late, once under the canopy it becomes difficult to avoid intense tonal contrasts with mottled light. Shrugging, I turned to Paul and said, “I guess we’ll have to shoot things a little tighter.” I had no idea what that harmless plan would lead to.

Throughout our 3 mile trek, we encountered 11 different gator holes. Gator holes are clearings typically in a cypress strand where alligators have excavated plants and debris. In doing this, they ensure when water is scarce, they will always have a self contained water source to feed on fish until the rains return. Each gator hole had its own resident and we were surprised to find hatchlings swimming around so early in the season.

It’s mating season right now in the Everglades, but apparently some 

alligators are ahead of the curve.

We even came across a gator hole where the resident alligator hadn’t been so fortunate. It’s hard to fathom that a gator of that size would die of natural causes, so I’m suspecting foul play. Whatever the case it smelled horrible, but that didn’t stop the black vultures from enjoying a nice Sunday brunch.

Black vultures, the recyclers of the Everglades make quick work of an alligator

Around 10:00, we arrived at a hole where a mother and her hatchlings swam amongst splashing fish.  She watched us with a weary gaze as we skirted her home. The mud surrounding the water was deep and heavy. Looking up, we noticed a tail and snout sticking out from the muck. Looks like we found our “tight shot.” Hesitating, just a little, we got in close with our macro lenses relying on the weight of the mud to discourage any movement from the gator.

In the Everglades, the mud has eyes

Certainly a manageable size, at 6-7 feet, Paul and I were confident but grateful the other was there with a helping hand, or a camera at least. So we got in closer.

Paul Marcellini in his element

Slowly, the gator brought its head out of the mud and let us know it was his mud. I’ve imagined a photo like this for a long time and I wasn’t going to blow it. I attached a wide angle lens and lowered my camera as close to the mud as possible. The gator burped and hissed, releasing the smell of rotting flesh into the air and I triggered the shutter.

“The Dragon’s Lair” a new print available at MacStonePhoto.com

After a few frames, we backed away slowly and thanked the gator for its hospitality. It was a raw and beautiful experience sharing space in the lair of a dragon. When I got home I called a friend and told him about our afternoon, excited to show him the pictures. He laughed, agreed it sounded like an adventure, then casually told me he had just returned from swimming with over 40 gators. While such a thing is far beyond my comfort zone, it’s not so uncommon down here. Still, I’d much rather photograph them from terra-somewhat-firma. Although, now that I think about it, an underwater photo looking up at their silhouetted bodies against an aqueous sky sounds pretty tempting… hmmmm….

NANPA Summit

NANPA High School Scholarship winner Kathryn Boyd-Batstone with one of Canon’s

behemoth lenses and 7D bodies at South Padre Island, Texas. 

Every year the North American Nature Photography Association hosts a conference inviting the nation’s top shooters. The annual summit lasts three days providing the attendees with keynote speeches, workshops from the industry leaders, and a trade show of exhibitors showcasing the latest equipment. It’s an overwhelming place and I’ve met some lifelong friends and mentors at this conference over the years. The most rewarding part, however, is getting to participate as an instructor for the high school scholarship program.

Before the new year NANPA selects ten high school and ten college students to attend the conference which usually falls in February or March. The students arrive three days early and are thrown into the lion’s den with mornings that begin at 5:00 AM and end at 12:00 AM. Sponsored by Canon, Hunts Photo and Video, Wimberley, Delkin, Nik Software, and Manfrotto tripods, they get the chance to use the best gear in choice locations with direct tutelage from professionals like Raymond Klass, Sharon Klass, Ellen Anon, Michael Nadler, Lou Nettlehorst, Ray Pfortner, and myself.

This year’s winners were Joe Sulik, Jayleen Beedle, Alex Sandlin, Johan Doornenbal, Timmothy Brooks, Benjamin Knoot, Ben Walker, Kathryn Boyd-Batstone, Luke Crouch, and Danny Waterman.

Instructor Ray Pfortner with student Timothy Brooks at South Padre Island

I could write a novel from all the stories and experiences we had in our short week together, but I’d rather you hear it from them. Here’s a video which we showcased to the 300 attendees on the last night of the conference put together by Raymond Klass. They received a standing ovation from the most respected names in nature photography. How’s that for wind at your back?

North American Nature Photography Association’s 2011 High School Scholarship Program from NANPA on Vimeo.

Eight years ago, I was a student and one of the ten recipients of the NANPA high school scholarship. At that conference I was offered my first professional job, promoting and building a photography ranch in McAllen, Texas. The following three years they sent me to attend the summit’s tradeshow on behalf of the Cozad Ranch to promote photography excursions in McAllen. Three years ago I accompanied one of my students from the Honduran organization GUARUMA as a translator and liaison in a life-changing trip. I was with him on his first airplane ride and next to him as he said his tearful goodbyes to the other students. Now I’m an instructor at the annual summit in McAllen, Texas and I find myself glowing with coincidence.

NANPA gave me a foundation for my confidence to build and a fertile place for my ideas to grow. It’s been a long beautiful ride. I love a full circle and even more so, the potential energy stored in our youth. It’s impossible to predict the ways they will change this world but I can’t wait to follow along.

Did I mention my middle name is McAllen?