Garth Lenz
This wetland is just south of Fort McMurray and the developed region of the Alberta Tar Sands. Although not currently threatened directly by Tar Sands development, it is representative of what the Tar Sands area looked like before development.The forests, wetlands, soil etc. are referred to as "overburden" and scraped off in order to replace this ecosystem with tailings ponds, tar mines, and refineries.Wetlands like this are one of the greatest carbon sinks and best defenses against global warming. This example is found in Northern Alberta within the Forest Management Area of logging Company Alberta Pacific Forest Products - ALPAC. Alpac has certified all its lands under FSC certification, making it the largest FSC certified logging operation in the World. These wetlands are also near the Alberta Tar Sands. These oil reserves are second only to those of Saudi Arabia. Their method of extraction is among the most damaging and their refining creates more greenhouse gases than any other oil refining process.
Alberta Wetland

This wetland is just south of Fort McMurray and the developed region of the Alberta Tar Sands. Although not currently threatened directly by Tar Sands development, it is representative of what the Tar Sands area looked like before development.

The forests, wetlands, soil etc. are referred to as "overburden" and scraped off in order to replace this ecosystem with tailings ponds, tar mines, and refineries.

Wetlands like this are one of the greatest carbon sinks and best defenses against global warming. This example is found in Northern Alberta within the Forest Management Area of logging Company Alberta Pacific Forest Products - ALPAC. Alpac has certified all its lands under FSC certification, making it the largest FSC certified logging operation in the World. These wetlands are also near the Alberta Tar Sands. These oil reserves are second only to those of Saudi Arabia. Their method of extraction is among the most damaging and their refining creates more greenhouse gases than any other oil refining process.

Garth's recent awards

This forest is not directly within the Tar Sands region but is in northern Alberta, relatively near the Tar Sands and representative of the kinds of forests that existed in the Tar Sands region before being removed for Tar Sands development.The forests, wetlands, soil etc. are referred to as "overburden" and scraped off in order to replace this ecosystem with tailings ponds, tar mines, and refineries.The boreal forest of northern Canada is perhaps the best and largest example of a largely intact forest ecosystem. This forest is located in Northern Alberta. The boreal forest is also the greatest terrestrial carbon sink. Canadaès boreal forest alone stores an amount of carbon equal to ten times the total annual global emissions from all fossil fuel consumption.

INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

I was delighted to learn that I have won two awards at the International Photography Awards. The awards were presented at an event at Avery Fisher Hall in the Lincoln Center in New York on October 20th.

My five images of trees were awarded first place in the Nature/Trees category and a recent aerial of a wetland in northern Alberta won third place in the Nature/Landscape category.

This is a very exciting follow up to my recent second and third place awards this last Spring in the photojournalism/environment category of the Pris de la Photographie Paris competition, and my recent nomination and acceptance into the International League of Conservation Photographers.