LINCOLN, NE — The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the 150th anniversary of Nebraska statehood today by issuing a Forever stamp depicting a photograph taken on the banks of the Platte River as sandhill cranes flew low overhead at sunset. Nicknamed the Cornhusker State, the 37th state admitted to the union also ranks 37th in population with almost 1.9 million residents.
Michael's speech starts at 30:00.
Michael's photograph of Sandhill Cranes flying over the Platte River will be used for a U.S. postage stamp to celebrate Nebraska's 15oth birthday.
Click here to read the full article.
Michael has been noted as one of the 150 most Notable Nebraskans.
The Lincoln Journal Star chose people whose influence went beyond state's boarders, gaining them recognition in their fields.
To read more about the 150 Notable Nebraskans visit the Lincoln Journal Star website.
Michael is a recipient of the 2016 NANPA Environmental Impact Award for his work on Platte Basin Timelapse. He will be speaking at the Nature Photography Summit on the evening of March 3rd in Jacksonville Florida. For more information about the award and the event click here.
NANPA ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AWARD
This award honors a photographic project undertaken by an individual or a team that addresses an important and urgent regional or global environmental problem. The project should be concerned with one or more species or ecosystems and illustrate perils facing the species or ecosystems and/or sustainable management solutions to help preserve them. The project will be judged on its success in raising public awareness for the need to protect our natural world and in stimulating further study of the issue(s) addressed. The individual or team directing the project may be offered a Summit Keynote presentation position. The award is open only to NANPA members or, in the case of a team project, a team headed by a NANPA member.
After 55 days and 1000 miles by foot, bike and canoe, Mike and Pete finally made it to the Missouri River Platte River confluence on August 24, 2016. The two men travelled the length of the Platte River by foot, canoe, kayak and bike. Learn the how's and why's of this journey and a few of the people who assisted and they met along the way.
Many local news agencies reported on their journey. Click one of the articles below to read more.
NET Nebraska's NPR & PBS Stations
Kearney Hub
Lincoln Journal Star
Omaha World Herald
North Platte Telegraph
The Grand Island Independent
Columbus Telegram
Fremont Tribune
Michael and photographer Joel Sartore were recognized by the Nebraska State Legislature on Wednesday April 20th, 2016.
Michael, and his work on the Great Plains was featured in Outdoor Photographer Magazine's April 2016 issue.
"In an instant, the moment was gone, yet I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. That fierce look from that tiny little owl pierced my soul like nothing else ever has or maybe ever will. It also proved to me that there was a lingering wildness that still survives on the prairie and that it's worth protecting."
To read the rest of the article click here: Wildlife of the Great Plains.
After years of instructing and collaborating, Michael was granted an honorary Nebraska Master Naturalist award earlier this month.
The Nebraska Master Naturalist Program provides Nebraskans with a passion for natural resources, scientific knowledge, and hands-on skills training that make them ideal volunteers and can enhance their lives. The program has created a network of dedicated volunteers for organizations and agencies focused on habitat conservation, environmental education, citizen science, outdoor skills and ecotourism. http://snr.unl.edu/naturalist/.
(And some of you will notice that the Master Naturalist logo is based on Michael's image of a burrowing owl called "Balancing Act.")
Mike was recently featured on Today with Harry Smith in video about the sandhill crane migration here in Nebraska. Click here to read the article.
The WATER Public Opening will be held on Friday, February 5 from 6 – 9 p.m.
WATER is essential to life, at times calming, at other times powerful and difficult to control; seemingly abundant, but increasingly scarce. Exploring and understanding WATER in a multitude of forms – as a conduit for transportation and civilization, as an environmental resource, and as one of nature’s most versatile tools – is the theme of KANEKO’s Spring 2016.
The Platte Basin Timelapse Project is happy to be partnering with Kaneko, and will be displaying time-lapse video, audio, stills, and educational multimedia stories for this exhibit.
December 4th - February 20th 2016 ON ANCIENT WINGS EXHIBITION
Located in the heart of Louisiana, The Alexandria Museum of Art is showcasing Michael's photographs from his book On Ancient Wings: The Sandhill Cranes of North America. This exhibition serves to highlight the cranes as well as the work to preserve this species in Louisiana and other locations throughout the country.
On November 12, 2015 Michael spoke at the Workshop: Implications of a Changing Arctic on Water Resources and Agriculture in the Central U.S. hosted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Innovation Campus. His talk focused on the last five years of the Platte Basin Timelapse Project, a long term effort he co-founded in partnership with the University of Nebraska that is leveraging the power of of photography to observe change over time and tells the story of water across a major watershed.
Significant climate and environmental changes are occurring in the Arctic and the pace of these changes have exceeded expectations. The implications of these changes on agriculture, water resources, ecosystem health and other sectors for the Great Plains and Midwest regions of the U.S. could be profound given the importance of these regions as a breadbasket of the world. It is the goal of this workshop to explore both the science associated with changes in the Arctic region and the implications of these changes on the frequency of extreme weather and climate events (e.g., severe weather, droughts, floods, heat waves) in the Central U.S. This workshop is timely in that it coincides with the U.S. assuming chairmanship of the Arctic Council in April 2015. This workshop will provide an opportunity to identify possible adaptation and mitigation measures in response to these changes in severe weather patterns as well as a framework for future research, management decisions and policy options.
To read more about this workshop, click here.
"That's the impetus behind The Platte Basin Timelapse project, a multi-media initiative he co-founded with television producer Michael Farrell. Through text, image, and timelapse photography, the project documents a watershed that threads across one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the world and gives voice to the stories that unfold along its banks. Forsberg refers to the river as the lifeblood of the region..."
October 3rd 2015 - January 3rd 2016
The Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska is hosting the 50th anniversary of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. In association with the exhibition, the Durham has also displayed Mike's image, Mother's Touch - Sandhill Crane with chick, along with fellow Nebraska wildlife photographers Joel Sartore and Tom Mangelsen, each showcasing their winning images from the past WPOY competitions.
Mike will be teaching a few photography workshops this year, including:
Destination: Alaska! Katmai National Park.August 26-30, 2015.
Photography at the Summit, Jackson Hole, WY. September 27 - October 2, 2015.
Zapata Ranch - Sandhill Crane photography workshop. March 6-11, 2016.
JULY - NOVEMBER 2015 GREAT PLAINS EXHIBITION
The Western Heritage Museum and the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame are hosting the Great Plains - America's Lingering Wild exhibition, in Hobbs, New Mexico from July 30-November 2015. Since 2010, the 60 piece photographic exhibition has traveled to several gallery and museum venues in the Great Plains and American West. It is a companion to Michael's award winning book, Great Plains - America's Lingering Wild, and his 2 hour PBS documentary film of the same title.
This August will be the last month for our gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska. We have had a wonderful 14 years in Lincoln's Historic Haymarket District. We have been touched in so many ways by all of you who have supported us both near and far.
During the years, you have helped us raise families, provide a platform for conservation, and create a gathering place where you have brought so many of your family, friends and visitors to show the remarkable beauty and diversity of Nebraska and the Great Plains we call home. There are so many memories, and we are very blessed.
Although we will no longer maintain a physical gallery space, our photography business is not closing. We are simply shifting gears.
We will continue to sell our prints, books, cards and other products through an improved online store at michaelforsberg.com. We will continue to work personally with existing and new clients, and we will strive to maintain the high level of personalized service and quality you have come to expect from us.
On behalf of Patty and our family, our gallery manager Barb Sullivan and her family, and the rest of our loyal staff both past and present, we offer you our gratitude and heartfelt thanks.
~Michael Forsberg
