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Grand Canyon

Happy high country - always good to share some Mother Nature, friendship and wild flower basking up high. #happysunday

Any guesses which state this purple beauty represents?

#mountains #nature #elk #wildflowers #thinair #friends #petemcbride

Transition: When this power plant was built way back in the 1970s — when I was a wee lad — the emissions from its smokestacks were more regulated than they are today. The EPA was created by President Nixon, who was not exactly a tree hugger but embodied the then-conservative ideal to conserve air, land and water — an ideal that has eroded today.

This coal-fired power station was part of the skyline for 45 years on the northeast corner of the Grand Canyon, but today it is gone — in part because the economics of renewables and cleaner energy began to win the day, forcing this plant and many on the Navajo Reservation to transition. If we are going to turn around our mistakes with carbon and energy production, then we will all have to make this transition. There is no silver bullet solution, but a spectrum of possibilities. Loosening regulations on our polluters is not one of them. For those that care about the future of our natural resources in the U.S. — you still have the power to vote at the ballot and with your wallet.

#air #water #climate #epa #energy #nature 🎥 @ecoflight 📸 #PeteMcBride #navajopowergeneratingstation 2019 & May 2022

Chasing that rare element in our open-aired cathedrals: silence. Last night I had the privilege to speak at @aspeninstitute Ideas Festival with @Kristine_Tompkins about the wonders and fragility of our shared outdoor classrooms and the subtle songs of their soundscapes.

After running Patagonia, Kris has helped protect over 14 million acres of land — more than anyone in history — and create 13 national parks in South America through @tompkins_conservation, so it was a humbling honor to share our stories.

Kris believes hope is earned through action, not just spoken. As Ed Abbey said, "Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."

My book on silence and natural sounds, Seeing Silence, is coming out in a special large format edition later this summer — stay tuned.

@aspenideas #AspenIdeas #seeingsilence #conservation #nature #publiclands #beauty #silence #petemcbride

The songs of polar night - and their singers.
I’m excited to speak next Monday with @kristine_tompkins at @aspeninstitute #ideas festival about conservation, wildlife sounds and the power and fragility of silence in nature amidst these noisy times. Monday 4:30 pm - open to the public. Join us. From my book #SeeingSilence #orca #Arctic #ocean #nature #conservation #petemcbride

Happy Summer Solstice - for those in the north. #sun #longdays #seeingsilencebook #sonyalpha 📷#petemcbrode

Dear Dad - Thanks for teaching us about the West, the world, hard work, integrity, flight and how to ski… with style on warm water or frozen. #happyfathersday #dadjokes rock #flight #supercub #aerial #stillflying #love

Paddling into blue: Kayaking the 14,000 ft lakes of the Altiplano in Bolivia for @natgeo years ago - introduced me to a world of water beyond imagination. #adventure #water #travel #bolivia #archive 📷 #petemcbride

Roaming amidst Yaks: I miss their stubborn resolve, ornery tempers and the soothing sound of their bells (#2 sound on).

I’ve trekked many a mile with yaks from Everest to the northern border of Bhutan and I’m always amazed by their abilities and the heartiness of their owners. I’m grateful to have yak bells as my doorbell - to remind me of such wanders and wonders out yonder for @natgeo.

#bhutan #nepal #snowmantrek #yak #nature from my book #seeingsilence and it’s sounds via it’s QR code.

Art of Western Lands - by my favorite artist: Wind, Water and Time.

#drought #water #aerial #drought #navajo #sonyalpha by #petemcbride

To me, oceans are life — and the magic that goes with it. While they often make us feel small, our collective human impacts also reveal oceans' fragility. They support and drive most of our natural systems, from food to weather, so we need to support them. Happy World Oceans Day.

#worldoceansday #conservation #water #oceans

North country light: Exploring the road - and lakes - for @changemakertalent. Honored to be speaking about public lands and wild places we all share. #wisconsin #nature #light #skeeters #lakewobegon #iphone13

Treks through Time: A few clicks exploring many wide, wild and changing environs over the years - trying to highlight the beauty and challenges of our amazing support system - our living library otherwise known as Mama Nature.
Fav?
#happyworldenvironmentday🌎 #nature #world #photography #water #awareness

1. Bolivia 2. Ganges headwaters. 3. Botswana 4. Antarctica 5. Arizona 6. Everest 7. Colorado
#sonyalpha 📷 #petemcbride #seeingsilence

How I love the tiny wonders of our big blue world. #antarctica #penguin #adeliepenguin #nature #wildlife #archive outtake from my #SeeingSilence book

The thirst to learn: In my travels, I’ve always been awed by the obstacles children face to get an education.
From Somalia to Bhutan, Africa to the Himalaya to the U.S. — kids go to amazing lengths to learn and I’ve always loved their enthusiasm in doing so - despite their challenges no matter where they are.

I’m honored to speak about this and the power of our outdoor classrooms as the keynote presenter for @nafsagram at their annual conference in Denver tomorrow.
Teachers bring light into darkness so we need them and education more than ever!

#education #children #teaching #hope #safety #nafsa2022

Happy Memorial Day from snowy Colorado. Thanks to all who fought to protect our wild places — for us and the critters like this soggy male Western tanager (#2) who was all fluffed up trying to stay warm while seeking refuge from a icy storm this morning.

Western tanagers have a red face from their insect diet, migrate further north than their fellow tropical bird family and like many flyers, fluff up to stay warm which essentially thickens their insulation layer around their bodies.

#memorialday #birds #nature #wildlife #changingclimate #sonyalpha 📷 by #petemcbride

A canyon becomes a lake…becomes a canyon again. Nature always bats last.

As America’s second largest reservoir, Lake Powell, continues to recede due to the pressures of the ‘mega drought’ of the Southwest which has proven drier than anytime in 1200 years, a maze of geologic wonders and life returns to our public lands.

I just returned from exploring this changing land and soundscape for @smithsonianmagazine with @glencanyon_institute and @lennecefer feeling amazed, awed and humbled. #glencanyon #lakepowell #water #coloradoriver #nature

In 2015, I traversed all 1,560 miles (2,510 km) of the Ganges River with @mountainworld for a @natgeo story. The resulting feature-length documentary, Holy Unholy River, tells the story of this "revered and reviled" lifeline and the impacts its pollution has on the 400 million people who rely on it as a water source — as well as those who regard it as holy. Here's a short look at the film, which is available on Amazon Prime video for anyone interested in watching.

#ganges #india #water #environment #nature #himalaya

Dusty Days: Last year I did a @natgeo story in the mountains where I grew up: the Rockies of Colorado. I was amazed at how skinny the snowpack was up high, but also at how it was infused with tea-colored layers of dust — all blown in from the southwest, where more development and activity have disturbed fragile desert ecosystems and soils. This new dust phenomenon captures the heat of the sun, melting off the snow more quickly and greatly affecting the predictability and quantity of one of our most important natural resource supplies: water.

I have only seen this issue get worse as our climate changes. As our current "megadrought" continues, the worst period of dryness in the U.S. for 1,200 years, ski enthusiasts like me need to become aware of this growing challenge — related to our own impacts.

#water #skiing #nature #environment #journalism

Nothing like the trail ahead… and the excitement of the unknown and adventure it represents.

Aspen tree forests - ‘quakies' as we call ‘em — are my favorite, not just for their sound and soft beauty, but because they are also the largest living organism on Earth as each grove is connected and work together as a community.
To see more and other magical trails I’ve hoofed, check out my book #SeeingSilence — link in my bio or where books are sold.

#trees #trail #nature #hope #silence

I'm proud to have been a part of the @vital.impacts print sale, which helped to raise over $800,000 with proceeds going to @directrelief, an organization working to provide humanitarian relief in Ukraine and other devastating conflicts around the world. Thanks to all who contributed to this initiative and demonstrated the power of creating hope out of despair and tragedy.

#printsale #nature #wildlife #fineartphotography

Pete McBride

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