Senior Planet: Aging with Attitude Senior Planet from AARP Main Menu
Search Donate
Classes
All Classes Fitness & Wellness Clases en español 國語語言活動
Articles
Locations
Virtual New York City North Country, NY Montgomery County, MD Colorado San Antonio, TX Palo Alto, CA
Resources
Weekly Newsletter Senior Planet Community Tech Tips Videos 1-to-1 Tech Tutoring How to Use Zoom ACP – Save on Internet
About Us
Our Purpose Our Team Our Sponsors Press Coverage Get Involved Contact Us
Classes
All Classes Fitness & Wellness Clases en español 國語語言活動
Articles
All Articles Senior Planet News Advocacy Book Club Healthy Aging Inspiring Stories Life & Culture Open Thread Sex & Relationships Technology Work & Money
Locations
Virtual New York City North Country, NY Montgomery County, MD Colorado San Antonio, TX Palo Alto, CA
Resources
Weekly Newsletter Senior Planet Community Tech Tips Videos 1-to-1 Tech Tutoring How to Use Zoom Save Money on Internet
About Us
Our Purpose Our Team Our Sponsors Press Coverage Get Involved Contact Us
Donate Search

Articles

Section Menu
All Senior Planet News Advocacy Book Club Healthy Aging Inspiring Stories Life & Culture Open Thread Sex & Relationships Tech Work & Money
Life & Culture

Connecting with Nature – and Others

By Sharon McDonnell Monday, April 26, 2021 2 Comments Share This:

A lifelong interest in the environment and photography did more than launch one couple’s relationship.  It gave Rob Badger, 73, and Nita Winter, 66, the means to find and inspire environmental collaborators, inspiring them through their awe-inspiring images of nature  in the American West – a 30 year labor of love.

A meeting… 

They met in a San Francisco photo lab in 1986. “I was waiting for my prints, and my prince showed up,” Winter jokes. Back then, she was a photographer of people. Badger had just quit his job, deciding to be a photographer full-time. A native of rural Massachusetts, Badger was studying aerospace engineering in Los Angeles when his interest in the natural world…blossomed.

“I spent time photographing the diverse and dramatic beauty of my new state, especially California’s different desert ecosystems, containing landscapes and plants completely new and exciting to me,” Badger says. He dropped out, took classes in the natural sciences and later became a photographer for the Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Land by approaching them –  and being approached as his specialty grew.

“Learning nature photography changed my life completely”’

“Learning nature photography changed my life completely,’” says Badger. The more he learned how human activities like mining, logging and wastefulness threatened such beautiful places, the more he resolved to use his talents to protect them.

…and a revelation 

In 1992, Badger was so moved by the sheer majesty of a superbloom  – extraordinary flower blooms in deserts caused by sudden rain – he was photographing in the Antelope Valley in southern California’s Mojave Desert, he called Winter at their Bay Area home to join him. Blown away by the waves of orange poppies and purple flowers, she decided to team up with him, later forsaking her people photography career entirely. But sights like “Monet’s Carpet,” their nickname for a beautiful lavender and yellow landscape an hour north of Los Angeles, were worth it.

Spreading the word

The duo’s outreach efforts to find collaborators and supporters for the environment through their gorgeous images of nature  in the West started in earnest – and by accident. While volunteering, the duo met the San Francisco public library programs director who suggested their work become a travelling exhibit. Their exhibit, with educational text on native plants and climate change to  accompany their photos, debuted at the library in 2016.

“Rob and I decided to become voices for wildflowers, combining visual and literary storytelling with our love of nature”

The couple then turned it into a book of 190 photographs and 18 essays on nature conservation from a roster of scientists and activists., Beauty and the Beast: California’s Wildflowers and Climate Change, after networking with fellow members at Bay Area Independent Publishers. The pair approached non-profits, and attended a conference about global environmental and social problems, called Bioneers, to round up the essays.

Badger and Winter won the Sierra Club’s 2020 Ansel Adams Conservation Photography award for photographing wildflowers for almost 30 years. Their gorgeous images of nature  in the West became a traveling exhibit.

“Rob and I decided to become voices for wildflowers, combining visual and literary storytelling with our love of nature,” says Winter. “Our goal is to help people fall in love with wildflowers and inspire action to save them.” Videos of their Zoom talks are here.

“We are all interconnected, and human activity that changes the climate is the greatest threat to the natural world,” she explains. “We must take action to reverse these threats.” Their weapon: Photography. Nowadays, it’s easy to learn, thanks to great smartphone cameras, and how-tos on Google and YouTube. To mark Earth Day – and beyond –  they recommend:

  • Joining online groups focused on nature, conservation etc. on Meetup or Facebook, or garden or nature photography clubs, to share ideas and photos.
  • National, state and local parks and native plant society chapters organize efforts to plant native species to restore biodiversity and remove invasive species.
  • Buy less, re-use more. Re-use paper printed on just one side, consolidate errands to save gas, limit use of plastics, packaging and food waste and flush the toilet with dishwater.
  • Become a citizen scientist. Help scientists on research projects by collecting data on plants and animals through websites like Nature’s Notebook and iNaturalist.
  • Combine a skill you have to help the environment, from fundraising to community outreach.

Rainy day?  Not a nature-lover?  You can always socialize virtually with Senior Planet’s online activities – from book clubs to exercise classes and more. Check it out here. 

 

Field of wildflowers, California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Lupine (Lupinus bicolor) and Desert Goldfields (Lasthenia californica), with snow on the San Gabriel Mountains. Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Authors of “Beauty and Beast: California’s Wildflowers and Climate Change” coffee table book. Part of Rob Badger and Nita Winter’s fine art documentary photography project “Beauty and Beast: Wildflowers and Climate Change” a sponsored project of Blue Earth Alliance.
Peter Raven, Jose Gonzalez, Wendy Tokuda, Kenna Kuhn, Kitty Connolly, Erin Schrode, Dr. Margaret Leinen, Will Rogers, Gordon Leppig, Susan Tweit, Mary Ellen Hannibal, Genevieve Arnold, Ryan Burnett, Doug Tallamy, Ileene Andersen, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Amber Pairis,

 

 

Photos by Nita Winter and Rob Badger.

COMMENTS

2 responses to “Connecting with Nature – and Others”

  1. Sharon F McDonnell:
    Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 2:18pm

    Thank you!

    Reply to Sharon F McDonnell
  2. Janice A Jensen:
    Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 7:08pm

    Loved the article and the photos were breathtaking.

    Reply to Janice A Jensen

Leave a ReplyCancel

Senior Planet’s comments are open for all readers/subscribers; we love hearing from you! However, some comments are not welcome here as violations of our Comment Policy. If you would like to express a comment about Senior Planet locations or programs, please contact supporters@seniorplanet.org. Want to continue the conversation? Start your own discussion on this topic on Senior Planet Community.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Become a Supporter

Join us online to gain access to exclusive benefits and opportunities only for Senior Planet Supporters!

Learn More Here!

Sign Up for Newsletters

There’s always a lot going on in the Senior Planet universe. Get our newsletters to make sure you never miss a thing!

Sign Up Now

Join Senior Planet Community

Senior Planet Community is our social media platform designed specifically for older adult users. Engage in thought-provoking discussions, make new friends, and share resources all on a safe and ad-free platform.

Join the Conversation Today

Latest Articles

More Articles

Book Club

Senior Planet Book Club: Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times edited by Carolina de Robertis (Week 4)

We read the section entitled "Seeds" this week. Let us know what you think in the comments below or the Book Lovers Club on Senior Planet Community!
Life & Culture

Name That Firework!

No July 4 celebration would be complete without fireworks, but do you know a Brocade from a Comet? 
Technology

Apps for that Summer Road Trip

Savvy road trippers know that a smartphone is their best friend on the road - and there are more options besides Google Maps.
Open Thread

Open Thread: Shopping Sprees and Retail Therapy

Sometimes the simple things...aren't so simple - like a shopping spree with a good friend. It's really retail therapy. What do you buy that lifts you?

We’re aging with attitude.
Won’t you join us?

Become a Supporter

Don’t be a stranger!

Sign up for our newsletters →

Follow us on social media:

WHO WE ARE

We’re a distinctive, diverse collection of people aged 60 and older who are busy changing the way we age by embracing opportunities to reshape our lives, connect with and help one another, and change the world for the better —all while learning, growing, and having fun!

ABOUT US

  • Our Purpose
  • Our Team
  • Our Sponsors
  • Press Coverage
  • Get Involved
  • Contact Us
  • Rules of Conduct

OUR LOCATIONS

  • Virtual
  • New York City
  • North Country, NY
  • Montgomery County, MD
  • Colorado
  • San Antonio, TX
  • Palo Alto, California

GET INVOLVED

  • Get Involved
  • Classes
  • Ways to Give
  • Sign Up for Newsletters
  • Donate
  • Feedback

© Copyright 2022 Older Adults Technology Services, Inc. All rights reserved. OATS and Senior Planet are charitable affiliates of AARP: | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy