Eagle Mountain Wilderness Preserve

The Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT) contacted me in 2018 about the possibility of photographing a 2,434-acre parcel of land they were looking to acquire in Essex County. At the time, the parcel was still in private ownership. NEWT was able to negotiate permission for me to access the property while they worked on fundraising for the purchase.

Throughout 2018 I visited the property on numerous occasions to scout and photograph this unique landscape. The parcel has five ponds, numerous wetlands, beautiful streams, and several mountains. The namesake, Eagle Mountain, has dramatic cliffs dropping into a narrow valley. Peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs, making it an important place to preserve.

The highlight of my time on the property was during an outing to photograph the falcons. I took great care not to disturb or stress the birds. With the use of a powerful telephoto lens I was able to quietly get in a position to capture them perched on trees over the cliffs but not alarm them. It was during one of these trips that I turned away to leave and came face-to-face with a black bear and her cubs. There were a few tense moments as I tried to move away from the bears without disturbing the birds.

In addition to tradition landscape photographs, I flew over the property with Ed McNeil, the President of the North Forest Atlas Foundation. This allowed us to get an entirely different perspective on the property that gave a real sense of place to this unique parcel of land.

In 2019, after raising more than 1 million dollars, Northeast Wilderness Trust purchased the property. It was an honor playing a small role in helping to conserve this unique and valuable landscape.