Renowned photographer and artist Cynthia Dickinson leads the project, joined by eight other Minnesota photographers, videographers & advisors with varied interests including land development, wild birds and animals, water, forests, fields and the evolving human-built environment. Scientists from the St. Croix Watershed Research Center and the Science Museum of Minnesota provide information about the human impact of climate change in the area and resources to help us pinpoint hot spots, challenges and successes to highlight in our photographic and artistic visions.
The scope of the project is both visual and educational. We will tell the climate change stories in an understandable, emotionally accessible way, focusing on proven mitigations to the worst impacts of climate change and emerging best practices in adapting to it. As the rich ecosystem of the St. Croix struggles to withstand environmental and human stressors, our images will spotlight a wealth of people and organizations taking action to adapt. Through a traveling exhibit and panel discussions, publications we aim to raise awareness of these practices across the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Praxis Gallery in Minneapolis is committed to the first exhibition. A weekly blog is being established, and Greg Seitz from St Croix 360.com has offered his environmentally focused platform to showcase our work. A project Instagram page "Likely Stories" highlights images and key messages as the project progresses toward the curated exhibits.
Examples of stories that project images may feature on include:
* Black ash swamps/tamarack “ghost forests,” illustrated through images of core samples, invasive beetle “tracks” on tree trucks and the aftermath of a forest fire.
* The trajectory of the Allen S. King power plant, where change is coming in the form of the planned decommissioning of the operation, thanks to people “pushing back.”
* Farming, both corporation and sustainable. We intend to identify examples of each and capture images to highlight the key differences, including from an immigrant farm collective bringing sustainable farming practices to the area. We are exploring drone photography as one modality.
* Rain garden promulgation in Stillwater—an aesthetically appealing stormwater alternative. * Aquatic impacts, with photography to depict not only surface impacts like algae but what lies beneath, including lower layers where fish now get “trapped” given that upper layers are heating up with climate change.
* Housing development and the emergence of companies that offer “green” /low-impact solutions to gain a competitive edge in the hot real estate market of the St. Croix Valley.
We are also exploring drone photography as one modality.
Please join us throughout the year on the website to see the project as it unfolds.