Web of Water
Check out The Web of Water Project – A Collaboration between NANPA Members jon holloway, Ben Geer Keys, Clay Bolt, and Tom Blagden
The Web of Water project is a unique partnership with Upstate Forever, Fujifilm, Hub City Press renowned writer John Lane, photographers jon holloway, Ben Geer Keys, Clay Bolt, and Tom Blagden and corporate sponsors. The goal of highlighting through fine art photography the beauty, fragility, and critical importance of the Saluda-Reedy watershed and Lake Greenwood was a five year undertaking.
The Web of Water project tells the story of the watershed and those that depend on it for food, water, business, or recreation. A unique combination of beautiful and alarming images raise awareness about the watershed’s importance to the surrounding landscape and communities, current threats to the watershed’s health, and steps that citizens can take to preserve this precious natural resource in their midst.
This project will provide Upstate Forever with new opportunities to educate the community. Photography is one of the most powerful communication tools in assigning a higher sense of value to our environment. Often in the field of research, the visual connection between science and community is the untold story. This project will help bridge the gap and become a catalyst for community responsibility, awareness of cause and effect, and provide the public with unique opportunity to directly make a difference in the future of South Carolina.
Here are a few images from the Web of Water Project:
Eastern newt, Jones Gap State park, Image by Tom Blagden
Image by jon holloway
Image by Tom Blagden
Image by Clay Bolt
Image by Ben Keys
Image by jon holloway
About the Photographers
jon holloway is a professor of art at Lander University and the founder of the Click 646 event. jon has published the South Carolina Beautiful Places book, highlighting the beauty and diversity of all of SC’s State Parks. Other publications include National Geographic; America 24/7; South Carolina 24/7; Daybreak 2000; Bronze, Silver, Gold; M.I.L.K; the Palmetto Portrait Project, as well as a variety of national ad campaigns. See www.jonholloway.com for more information.
Ben Geer Keys is a member of and served on the board of directors for the Friends of the Reedy River, a local, grassroots, volunteer-based, nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and restoring the Reedy River. Ben also serves in leadership positions with Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Naturaland Trust, Warren Wilson Environmental Leadership Center, The South Carolina Conservation Bank Board and The Conestee Foundation. See http://keysni.com/ for more information.
Tom Blagden is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers(ILCP) and the North America Nature Photography Association. Tom has lived in the Lowcountry since 1977 and has published Lowcountry: The Natural Landscape and three other books on South Carolina in association with The Nature Conservancy: South Carolina’s Wetland Wilderness, South Carolina’s Mountain Wilderness, and The Rivers of South Carolina. Also, Tom concentrates his photography on Costa Rica and Maine, resulting in his award winning book First Light: Acadia National Park. His images have appeared in most national conservation organization calendars, as well as in numerous magazines and exhibits. Tom is an active lecturer on conservation issues.
Clay Bolt, is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) and is cofounder of the global effort “Meet Your Neighbors”, a conservation photography effort sponsored by the ILCP and supported by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. Clay specializes in macro and close-up photography of Southeastern plants and animals. He regularly partners with organizations such as The Nature Conservancy to highlight environmental issues facing the Southeast. Clay has received awards for his images from the National Wildlife Federation and the CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year Competition. See http://www.claybolt.com/ for more information.
About the Writer
John Lane is an avid paddler and place based educator, whose outdoor adventure prose has appeared in Outside, American White Water, Canoe, South Carolina Wildlife, and many other periodicals. His long essay, “River Wild” and “Confluence: Pacolet River,” appeared in the anthologies Heart of a Nation and Adventure America, both from National Geographic Books.
