Gretchen Kay Stuart
(USA)In a world plagued by climate disasters and rapid loss of biodiversity, Gretchen Kay Stuart finds hope and purpose in long-term projects that raise awareness for imperiled species and their threatened habitats through visual storytelling, camera trapping, writing, and collaborating with biologists and conservation organizations. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Gretchen is a member of iLCP, (International League of Conservation Photographers), and her work has been featured in National Geographic, Smithsonian, and National Wildlife magazines, among others.
ConnectThe Oregon Otter Gap
Sea otters have been locally extinct in Oregon since the 19th-century fur trade. Archaeological evidence suggests Oregon once acted as a hybrid zone, enabling gene flow between Washington’s northern and California’s southern subspecies. Their absence has left a critical gap in the biodiversity of kelp and estuarine ecosystems, and contributed to the endangerment of California’s southern subspecies. Led by the nonprofit Elakha Alliance, conservationists, indigenous leaders, and local communities are working to reintroduce this native species. My project aims to use visual storytelling to help dispel misconceptions and garner support for expediting reintroduction before challenges posed by climate change exacerbate the urgency.
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