Witness for wilderness
For several weeks this summer, photographer Eric Zamora trekked through the wild forests and high valleys of the Colville National Forest, cut, bruised, and battered with only the bears, moose, and deer to serve witness. But oh, the places he's been!
"I am up at 4:30 every morning to photograph the sunrise. Here's a self-portrait on an exposed ridge below Jacknife Mountain, southeast of Orient in the Kettle River Range."
For the last 16 days I have had the fortunate experience of photographing for Conservation Northwest in the wild areas of the Columbia Highlands of northeast Washington. So far I’ve hiked 79 miles through 10 different roadless areas in the Colville National Forest. I’ve been across tracked and trackless terrain, through dense forests, open ridges, and flower-strewn summits. I’ve been cut, bruised, and battered with only the bears, moose, and other wildlife to serve witness. (I’ve seen five black bear so far and six moose!)
I’ve photographed old growth from the Okanogan Highlands to the Kettles and am now preparing to embark on the final leg of my journey in the Selkirks. Here are some images from of my solo treks so far. They are but a small sampling of many thousands of images I’ve captured (and have yet to edit through!) After seeing them, is there any doubt that these places should be protected forever as wilderness?
