Since 1936, residential sessions at Hog Island have been led by some of the most respected naturalists and environmental educators in the nation, inspiring scores of scientists, school and university educators, and conservation leaders.
One of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles takes place every autumn as millions of hawks and other soaring birds funnel through Veracruz, Mexico, where a pioneering program aims to keep them flowing for millennia to come.
Hardangervidda National Park’s constant winds make it a popular destination for ski sailors.
Per Breiehagen
Gaustatoppen stands guard over the southern fringe of the plateau.
Per Breiehagen
Golden eagles have been protected in Norway since 1968; Hardangervidda’s plentiful ptarmigan and rodent populations make it ideal eagle habitat.
Per Breiehagen
Spindrift smudges the horizon beyond Rauhelleren hut, in the center of the national park.
Per Breiehagen
Starched white snow takes on the hues of the early morning light.
Per Breiehagen
Roughly 7,000 reindeer, comprised of about 60 different herds, wander Hardangervidda.
Per Breiehagen
The plateau’s even topography is perfect for skiers hauling their gear in sleds, called pulks in Norwegian.
Per Breiehagen
Hardangervidda National Park’s treeless expanse, roughly the size of Rhode Island, virtually guarantees the winds will blow. The area is a magnet for ski sailors, who use kites, climbing harnesses, and special heavy-duty skis when they ride the wind. Mårbu hut, which is midway between the park’s northern and southern boundaries, is a popular overnight stop.
A writer and her family embark on a cross-country ski quest to see wild reindeer in a powdery, wind-swept Norwegian national park that nearly conquered one legendary explorer.
Masked by stinking anaerobic mud, fuggy heat, clouds of mosquitoes, and acre upon acre of flooded forest, mangroves are as mysterious as they are vital to our coasts.
By Christopher R. Cox/Photography by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel
