Why not me? Why not now? Why not!

Hitting our goal

If we hit our target we'll give Rogue Waters: A Salmon Journey to schools across America.

We've decided to give copies of Rogue Waters to schools across the country. If we hit our funding target we'll send a copy to every school that requests one. Schools will be free to use it in classroom activities and share the book with families.

I have probably got anywhere between 50 and 500 people who support me and my ideas, now it is my turn to show them why they put faith in me and deliver my project to the best of my ability and deliver every single pledge that I have made. This is my contract with my supporters and I don’t have the excuse that I don't have enough funding yet. I am going to enjoy my project, excel myself, and repay the community that is helping me achieve this!!

Please, go check out this site and help fund the project!

http://www.indiegogo.com/roguewaters?a=551162

The project, an overview.

ROGUE WATERS - a pictorial/editorial book.

A wonderful, moving journey, documented in pictures and editorial, about the endangered and threatened salmon of the Pacific Northwest; reclaiming their natural environment, creating new habitat, and ensuring that these iconic emblems of the Pacific Northwest are safe from extinction, and that their habitats are encouraging the Salmon's reclamation of their natural territory.

INCLUDED IN THIS PROJECT: 

• The basic spawning cycle of salmon in the Columbia, Snake, and Klickitat rivers. 

•  The big three, major salmon of the Pacific Northwest all of which are listed as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

Chinook Salmon, listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered and threatened. Also known as King salmon, the largest of the species, can live up to seven years, spawn most often in large rivers or streams in deep, fast water, they are the least abundant of the North American Pacific Salmon.

Coho Salmon, listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered and threatened. Also known as Silver salmon, spend one to two years in freshwater before migrating to sea, require small headwaters streams for pre-migration, were one of the originally most commercially sought after species; now depleted in many areas. 

Sockeye Salmon,  listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered and threatened, and also known as Red salmon. The darkest of the species, that spawn not only in rivers but in lakes, the ones who have become landlocked are now known as Kokanee salmon.

• What is the impact of man-made dams on the salmon population in the Pacific Northwest?

• Thousands of miles of rivers and streams in the Pacific Northwest are losing Clean Water Act (CWA) protections in the wake of Supreme Court decisions, how does that impact the salmon?  

• What are the prospects and ecological significance of their recovery across the Pacific Northwest?

• Exploration of  the cultural significance of this aquatic icon across the Pacific Northwest. 

This book will be written as not only a photographic journey of the salmon  across the Pacific Northwest, but of  their impact, including ecological, cultural, and economic across the Pacific Northwest. How their demise can lead to the collapse of the food chain and demise of other species such as Orcas and bears.

SALMON FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS 

The Salmon of the Pacific Northwest have played an enormous role in not only the cultural practices of native peoples, but also in the ecological assurance of food sources for the Killer Whales of the Puget Sound. Additionally, how will the introduction of commercial fishing seasons impact the salmon population? 

Re-establishing the Salmon in the Pacific Northwest is a timely subject, crossing not only ecological issues, but cultural ones as well.

Legislation is also impacting the salmon and the ecosystem in which they live. Without intervention from Congress or the Administration to restore Clean Water Act protections for waters that were protected prior to 2001, these Pacific Northwest will continue to be polluted and destroyed. 

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

Pulling together all the information to tell this story will involve, extensive literature research, interviews with experts in the field, expeditions across the region to the places where the Salmon have all but disappeared, and to the places where they are coming back into their habitats in larger and stronger numbers. 

Field research will take place all over the Snake, Columbia and Klickitat Rivers as well as the Puget Sound. Along with the production of a photographically rich book, articles, and presentations from this project will be used to promote awareness and conservation of the Pacific Northwest Salmon.

SUPPORT FROM YOU

Your support, will help secure equipment needed for field work and photography, defray travel costs, and help underwrite the research (both historical and current research) and the cost of production expenses. The project is expected to take 16 months for me to review, edit, and compile the original manuscript and photos, as well as coordinating educational events, speaking engagements, and other publicity opportunities.

Your support here will ensure that I have the committed funds to successfully carry out the research, photography, and writing for the book and the other elements of this project!

The Salmon are an integral part of the Pacific Northwest. They are one of the most widely recognized icons in the world. Your generous support will further the cultural and ecological education surrounding the endangered and threatened Pacific Northwest Salmon.

It's REAL!

The Kickstart project has been approved! I am polishing it, prettying it up, putting on the final touches before I publish the page.

So now, I offer up a little prayer, "Great Spirit, take my project to the right eyes, the right minds, the right hearts and grant me this funding so that this project can leap off of the ground and into production within the next 31 days. So It is willed, so It shall be done."

Make it so.

Building the Website

Well, it's day two. Now to get the website built, hopefully get the Kickstarter project approved, and move on with what I set out to accomplish!

Last night was really productive. I was up until around 3:30 a.m. and created a book cover, a Kickstarter project, and, a blog.

I also created a timeline, made lists of people I would like to have work with me on this project, secured another photographer(two heads are better than one!), a research assistant and and editing and writing assistant. and, I have created a name for the book. Rogue Waters. I'm digging it. After all, it is a rough, working copy of what my book "could" look like. Talk about a dream come true!

Speaking of which, I'm going to go print off my book cover. Just to show my dad when he gets here. All of this creativity will only be sparked by his input and a trip to the zoo with my youngest!!!

Have a blessed day y'all!

The Journey Begins

There are just some days when inspiration just walks out of the woodwork and smacks you upside the head.
Today was one of those days. A friend of mine had posted about the Condit Dam being blown up. Well, I had some mixed emotions about that, as I used to live near there and spent many happy hours on that river. Talk about a wild ride of a video. It made me think about all of the time I had spent fishing those waters without seeing a single Salmon.

Then it hit me. The Salmon. Those Salmon of legend. The stuff I used to think was fairy tales being told to me by some of the older local men. They could become a reality. They could be real! Those salmon needed a voice.

And by voice I don't mean Ben Stein narrating exceedingly boring documentary. You remember those. From high school. The ones that you ended up falling asleep to. No, I want to do something different. I want to write a book.

So, I thought about funding. How would I get it? Where would I source it from? Then, it hit me. Kickstart. So, I mosey'd on over there and wrote this:

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

SALMON RESTORATION IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

A wonderful, moving journey about the Salmon of the Pacific Northwest, reclaiming habitat, creating new habitat, and ensuring that these iconic emblems of the Pacific Northwest are safe from extinction, and that their habitats are encouraging the Salmons reclamation of their natural habitat.

• The basic spawning cycle of Salmon in the Columbia, Snake and Klickitat rivers. 

• What have been the impacts of dams on the salmon population in the Pacific Northwest?

• What are the prospects and ecological significance of their recovery across the Pacific Northwest?

• Exploration of  the cultural significance of this aquatic icon across the Pacific Northwest. 

This book will be written as not only a photographic journey of the salmon and their impact, including ecological, cultural and economic across the Pacific Northwest. 

SALMON FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS 

The Salmon of the Pacific Northwest have played an enormous role in not only the cultural practices of native peoples, but also in the ecological assurance of food sources for the Killer Whales of the Puget Sound. In addition, how will the introduction of commercial fishing seasons impact the salmon population? 

Re-establishing the Salmon in the Pacific Northwest is a timely subject, crossing not only ecological issues, but cultural ones as well.

Along with the production of a photographically rich book, articles, and presentations from this project will be used to promote awareness and conservation of the Pacific Northwest Salmon.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER
Pulling together all of the information this story will require, will involve extensive literature research, interviews with experts in the field and expeditions across the region to places where the Salmon have all but disappeared, and to places where they are coming back into their habitats in larger and stronger numbers. 

Field research will take place all over the Snake, Columbia and Klickitat Rivers as well as the Puget Sound.

SUPPORT FROM YOU
Your support, along with other avenues of support I am seeking, will help secure equipment needed for field work and photography, defray travel costs, and help underwrite other research and cost of living expenses over the 16 months that it will take me to review, edit and compile the original manuscript and photos, as well as assist in coordinating educational events, speaking engagements and other publicity opportunities.

Your support here will ensure that I have the funds to commit to successfully carry out the research, photography and writing for the book and the other elements of this project!

The Salmon are an integral part of the Pacific Northwest. They are one of the most widely recognized icons in the world. Your support will further the cultural and ecological education surrounding the Pacific Northwest Salmon.

*end of Line*

So, there you have it. I have a large funding amount. $150,000. That would cover everything from research to photography, to equipment, to travel for photography and research, to publishing and PR engagements for book promotion and education. And I can do it in 15 months. I know I can.  If 150 people donate $1000, I would have this done. If 5,000 people donated $30 I could do it. If 10,000 people donated $15, again, it could be done. This is not unfeasible. 

I am so excited for this. I can not wait to see what adventure awaits me in the production of this book. Not just for me but for all of the people involved with it. For all of those people I haven't met yet and who I will learn from and who I will teach. Those people who will change my views of the world and those people whose views I will change. This, my friends, is going to be a most excellent adventure. Won't you join me on it? 

If you would like to join me on this adventure or sponsor this project, please, leave me a comment or a message and I will respond to you with an open mind and a welcoming attitude. 

Much love.