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| Great Kiskadee at Dos Venadas, © Greg Downing | |
Almost a year ago we received correspondence from a new organization looking to promote conservation through use of private lands to lease for nature photography - the Images for Conservation Fund (ICF).
Fascinated with the concept, we visited several of the Texas Lens and Land properties to tour the ranches, meet the owners, and enjoy some time photographing in the field. The hospitality was incredible and the efforts of the landowners paid off with some productive blinds. The Rio Grande Valley is famous for its diverse bird species and we were not disappointed; despite the relatively small amount of time we spent behind the camera at each ranch, we walked away with some images we were thrilled with. (For more information about the locations we visited, please visit the Lens and Land website at www.lensandland.com.)
Meeting with John and Audrey Martin during our visit, we discussed how NatureScapes.Net could help provide more visibility for the ICF. This article is part of that effort.
The Images for Conservation Fund
Wildlife photography has always been a powerful and effective tool for sharing the beauty of the natural world with the general public, people of all ages and backgrounds. By artistically portraying the diversity, interdependence and intrigue of animals large and small, many wildlife photographers work to persuade our society to value and preserve these natural treasures for future generations.
Yet, with the ever-growing pressures of population increase and land development, the future of nature and nature photography is still very much at risk. Currently, 80% of the western hemisphere is privately owned, and many private landowners must choose land uses that are financially sound.
Property and estate taxes, in an era of increasing land values, means that many landowners are “land rich and cash poor.” Economic pressures will force many wild lands to be sold, subdivided or given over to development. Thus, the problems of habitat loss and fragmentation are ever-present.
A new organization has formed with an innovative approach to address these issues while benefiting wildlife photographers, landowners and wildlife. The Images for Conservation Fund (ICF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to the development of the nature photo industry and the long-term conservation of wildlife through self-sustaining economics. ICF’s primary programs and goals are explained below.
A Brief History
In 1987, a group of south Texas residents created The Valley Land Fund (VLF), a non-profit land trust with the goal of preserving wildlife habitat in the Rio Grande Valley where only 5% of the land remained natural. John F. Martin was elected as the group’s first board president. Martin, a professional financial planner and longtime conservationist, believed that economics ultimately guided the use of private lands, and he strived to create ways for wildlife to become an economically viable choice.
In 1992, he created The Valley Land Fund’s Wildlife Photo Contest, a tournament-style competition that paired wildlife photographers with private landowners to compete for cash awards. Numerous local businesses and individuals supported the event through sponsorships as a visible way to show their support. Through Martin’s fundraising efforts, the first event was held in 1994 as the world’s richest wildlife photo contest, offering $77,000 in prize money to winning photographer-landowner teams.
The competition’s outstanding images gained the public’s attention through its award celebration, popular photo books, and exhibits in museums and sponsors’ business locations. Since then, VLF has produced five more events, offering up to $165,000 in prize money and attracting wildlife photographers from across the United States and Europe. Simultaneously, it raised significant funds for habitat protection and shared the beauty and biodiversity of the region’s wildlife with countless people. The idea was also adopted in the Corpus Christi area, where the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest pairs photographers with landowners of that region. Most significantly, it has shown the way to a new industry that benefits photographers, and the entire photographic industry, while supporting wildlife habitat.
Northern Bobwhite at Las Colmenas Ranch, © Heather Forcier
An Unexpected Path
As the contest’s popularity grew, many private landowners became more comfortable allowing photographers onto their property. In fact, photographers were calling landowners after the contest to ask about leasing access to their land separate from the contest, which now had high-quality photo blinds in place. The phenomenon inspired a simple yet novel idea.
Historically, landowners of natural lands have relied on hunting leases for income to offset the costs of land ownership. In fact, the renowned King Ranch currently derives more than half of its annual income from hunters. Now, the idea of photography leases became a reality.
Currently a group of seven private landowners representing a total of 25,000 acres join to form South Texas Lens and Land, a cooperative marketing effort to promote photography leases in the Rio Grande Valley. These landowners have established photographic settings on the land consisting of photo blinds, water holes and scenic natural backgrounds. They lease access for $100 to $125 per day, and have hosted photographers from across the U.S., Europe and Japan.
The New Industry
John Martin did some research and found that, according to U.S. Fish & Wildlife surveys, there are an estimated 26 million Americans who photograph wildlife each year (about the same number who play golf), and that 2.4 million of them photograph wildlife for 10 days or more. Seeing the potential for a significant new industry, he set out to create a new organization, one focused on promoting the nature photo tourism industry to provide unprecedented private lands access to photographers everywhere and to create a new and sustainable stream of wildlife-based income for landowners.
He and other VLF founders created the Images for Conservation Fund (ICF) in 2003 with the mission to develop this new industry by educating landowners on photographers’ needs and marketing the new leasing properties to photographers worldwide. He envisioned ICF as a central organization to galvanize the photo tourism industry for North America – much like the PGA has done for the $62 billion golf industry, which currently supports 1.2 million acres of 18-hole courses.
The Pro-Tour
To instigate and promote this industry, ICF has created the Pro-Tour of Nature Photography, the world’s first all-professional tournament of its kind. The first Pro-Tour event takes place in April 2006 and features the Texas Hill Country. The 20 world-class nature photographers and 20 landowners, each with 500 acres or more of wildlife habitat, will be randomly matched into teams.
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Green Jay at the Martin Refuge: Homestead, © Heather Forcier | |
Each team will submit a portfolio of images, including wildlife and plants and landscapes, to compete for a share of up to $200,000 in prize money. Images will be judged by Rosamund Kidman Cox, former longtime editor of BBC Wildlife magazine and producer of its BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition; Stephen B. Freligh, editor and publisher of Nature’s Best magazine; and world-renowned nature photographer, Art Wolfe.
Most importantly, the 20 participating landowners, chosen from an initial group of 94 applicants, are now committed to establishing photo leasing programs on their land directly after the competition, thus creating the world’s first regional destination for nature photography.
ICF has developed a prominent board of local Hill Country residents that will produce Valley Land Fund-style competitions open to all photographers and landowners. Indeed, the Pro-Tour’s ultimate goals are to create open competitions and photo leasing destinations throughout North America as the events travel from region to region over the next several years.
How You Can Help
ICF is now preparing for the inaugural Pro-Tour and the subsequent industry. As with any new effort, publicity and fundraising are absolutely vital to success. ICF offers charter memberships and sponsorship opportunities, and welcomes the support of individuals and businesses who want to become an important part of this promising new approach to wildlife conservation. Membership begins at only $25. Pro-Tour sponsorships begin at $1,000 and offer a range of benefits. (Visit the ICF support page.)
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Clay-colored Sparrow at the Martin Refuge: Javalina, © Greg Downing | |
ICF and the Pro-Tour have been endorsed by The Conservation Fund, Conservation International, Environmental Defense, the Nature Conservancy, the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), Texas Parks & Wildlife, the Texas Tourism Industry Association, the Texas Wildlife Association, and the Wildlife Habitat Council.
To date, business sponsors include: CEMEX, American Electric Power (AEP) of Texas, H-E-B, Frost Bank, the Loring Cook Foundation, the City of Kerrville, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), The Richards Group, Gallagher Ranch Headquarters, CopyZone, Texas Military Institute, Muñoz Investment Banking Group, Plateau Land & Wildlife Management, Smith Fankhauser Voight & Watson PLLC, and Ellis Koeneke & Ramirez.
Individual sponsors include: Anonymous, John & Audrey Martin, Georgia Mason, Howard & Millicent Mason, Bob & Cindy Petersen, Richard & Josephine Smith, George & Claire Vaughan, and Roger A. Zessin.
The ICF website (www.imagesforconservation.org) features biographical profiles on the 20 Pro-Tour photographers, Pro-Tour judges and ICF national and regional board members. It also includes a wealth of information about ICF’s programs, long-term goals, and ways you can support this revolutionary effort. You may contact ICF directly by calling Chairman John Martin or Executive Director Sam Mason at (956) 381-1264, or sending an email to icfprotour@aol.com.
