No Water... No Life

 

We first met Alison Jones at a North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) conference. What an impressive photographer, and what an impressive resume!

She is a conservation/travel photographer of wildlife, ecosystems and culture. Alison is a noted speaker, author, and workshop leader as well as a travel consultant and guide. Oh yes… she’s also noted for her conservation & humanitarian nonprofit work. Alison is the director of No Water No Life; took part in the founding of Kenya’s Mara Conservancy; and wrote “A Proposed Management Plan for Ethiopia’s Nech Sar National Park.” In addition to serving on the board of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), Alison is also a fellow in the prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP).

So how did Art for Conservation link up with Alison Jones? In the summer of 2008, she came to Fine Print Imaging for assistance in creating an exhibition for her “No Water No Life” program. The result was an incredibly compelling and informative 40 print canvas giclée exhibition that debuted at the Kootenay Gallery in Castlegar, British Columbia in 2008. If you get a chance to see this exhibition, don’t miss it!

No Water No Life (NWNL) is a not-for-profit organization that combines the powers of photography, scientific research and stakeholder knowledge to raise awareness of the vital importance of freshwater resources, perils of watershed degradation and opportunities for sustainable resource management.

As Alison puts it, “Wildlife, ecosystems and cultures are a three-legged stool: if one leg is damaged, the others also suffer. Thus for 20 years I’ve been traveling across Africa, the Americas and Europe to photograph endangered communities, species and landscapes. When back in NYC, I turn my expedition experiences into photo essays, lectures, and fine art prints and booklets.”

A long term, globally focused project, No Water No Life’s goals are to:
1. Document the availability, usage and quality of our critical freshwater resources.
2. Educate stakeholders through publications, lectures, exhibits and school curricula.
3. Foster partnerships within and across geopolitical boundaries.

For No Water No Life, Alison is researching and documenting six river basins in North America and northeastern Africa to raise awareness of the value of our fresh water resources. This entails illustrating watershed degradation and recording solutions that promote sustainable water usage, water availability for all and water quality. The six basins are North America’s Columbia, Mississippi and Raritan River Basins and northeastern Africa’s Nile, Omo and Mara River Basins.

The NWNL approach begins with expeditions along a river’s entire course, or to a specific reach, tributary or drainage area that exemplifies one of that watershed’s particularly significant characteristics. On expedition NWNL teams utilize photography, videography and interviews with local stakeholders to record historical, current and potential watershed management challenges and solutions.

Alison's latest NWNL project scheduled for the fall of 2009 is the Mara River Expedition in Kenya and Tanzania. Click here for details.

NWNL’s teams include photographers, scientists, educators and interns. Their backgrounds cover natural resource management, conservation biology, restoration ecology, forest ecology, conservation photography, videography and curriculum development. NWNL has carried expedition flags from The Explorers Club and WINGS WorldQuest. The Scott Pearlman Field Award and generous private donations have supported the project’s expeditions. NWNL’s fiscal sponsor is WINGS WorldQuest, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation.

News update! NWNL received 2 grants in July, 2009, from The Scott Pearlman Field Awards for the project’s upcoming “Length of the Mara River” Expedition. This fund provides grants for professional artists, writers, photographers, film-makers, and journalists in support of scientific expeditions sponsored by The Explorers Club. This grant is the second NWNL expedition they have funded. The NWNL Mara Expedition has also received the honor of carrying two Expedition Flags – from The Explorers Club and from Wings World Quest.

For more information about Alison Jones and No Water No Life, see the links below.

No Water - No Life: http://www.nowater-nolife.org

Alison Jones: http://www.alisonjonesphoto.com/