Mac Stone: Stunning photos of the endangered Everglades
Mac Stone: Sorprendentes imágenes de los Everglades en vías de extinción
Florida-based photographer Mac Stone specializes in documenting the Everglades, an area he prizes for its wildlife and flora. Full bio
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and remote cultures
y culturas remotas
this string of epiphanies
una cadena de epifanías,
more something like this.
se parece más a algo así.
to stay at night,
los alojamientos más lujosos,
the fanciest restaurants.
en los mejores restaurantes.
whatever's on the local menu.
nos ofrezca el menú local.
a large rodent called a cuy.
perhaps a little bit different
sean, quizá, algo más diferentes
than that of the average person
in the back of our mind
en nuestra mente que hace que,
and those times of despair,
y de desesperación,
an image to be made here,
se pueda sacar una imagen de aquí,
cultural and our natural heritage.
y nuestro patrimonio natural.
between the public
entre el público
us to be here in the first place.
estar aquí en primer lugar.
to teach us what we know.
enseñarnos lo que sabemos.
aren't going to willingly go
no se caerá a propósito
those same people to then advocate
que la gente abogue
as a communication tool,
como herramienta de comunicación,
between the science and the aesthetics,
entre la ciencia y la estética,
right here in Gainesville,
aquí mismo en Gainesville,
with adventure and discovery,
y el descubrimiento,
all these different places
from my front doorstep.
de mi casa.
of beautiful places to find.
through the eyes of a child
con los ojos de un niño
that sense of wonderment
ese sentimiento de asombro
into my photography
because here in the South,
porque en el sur
with a relatively blank canvas
un lienzo relativamente blanco
fanciful adventures
las aventuras más fantásticas
our imagination will take us.
nuestra imaginación pueda llevarnos.
look at this and they say,
these were the types of images
estas eran las imágenes
and dared me to explore,
del sofá y a explorar,
and see what we have.
para ver lo que tenemos.
all over the world
que hayan visto jamás.
promoting all the wrong things.
está ocupada promoviendo lo erróneo.
they'll have been to Disney World
habrán ido a Disney World
hayan andado en canoa
or Mickey; I used to go there, too.
o Mickey; yo también solía ir.
fundamental connections
esas conexiones fundamentales
of pride and ownership
de orgullo y propiedad
that the landscapes
de que los paisajes
for our drinking water
para conseguir agua potable
and dangerous and spooky.
peligrosos y espeluznantes.
of these areas, they're haunted.
está hechizado".
y fantasmas".
they came up with that idea.
to a very real disconnect,
disinterested, silent,
desinteresado, callado,
nuestro medio ambiente.
and defined by water,
y delimitado por agua,
as these second-class ecosystems,
ecosistemas de clase media
very little monetary value
to harbor alligators and snakes --
cocodrilos y serpientes,
the most cuddly of ambassadors.
los embajadores más adorables.
that the only good swamp
for agriculture and development
a la agricultura y al desarrollo
of conservation not too long ago.
de la conservación no hace mucho.
about these sodden landscapes,
de estos paisajes empapados,
que liberamos
watersheds and flyways.
las cuencas y las rutas migratorias.
it's a swamp bird,
de pantano,
in these old-growth swamps
en estos viejos pantanos,
after they raise their young,
después de criar,
over the Gulf of Mexico
por el Golfo de México,
and they come back.
over the Gulf of Mexico.
por el Golfo de México.
of a tennis ball --
de una pelota de tenis,
flies over the Gulf of Mexico
vuela por el Golfo de México,
and it flies back,
all too commonly unraveling
that's occurred for thousands of years
miles de años,
to learn about these landscapes
cuánto nos queda por aprender
that abounds in these swamps,
que abunda en estos pantanos,
with the idea of wading
la idea de meterse
in the Sunshine State
de crecer en el Estado del Sol
but very palpable fear
pero muy palpable temor
is a welcomed discomfort, I think.
es un malestar bienvenido.
and urban and digital age
to feel vulnerable,
sentir vulnerable,
have been made for just us?
no solo se creó para nosotros?
where the concrete yields to forest
donde el hormigón cede paso al bosque
mosquitoes and reptiles,
mosquitos y reptiles,
true wilderness,
la verdadera naturaleza,
obsessed with blackwater,
obsesionado con las aguas negras,
eventually end up
into a five-year project
en un proyecto de cinco años
the Everglades in a new light,
hacia una nueva luz,
because here you have an area
porque tienen un área
the state of Florida, it's huge.
del estado de Florida, es enorme.
"Oh, yeah, the national park."
"Ah, sí, el parque nacional".
it's an entire watershed,
un parque; es un entero parteaguas,
chain of lakes in the north,
Kissimmee en el norte,
would fall in the summer,
into Lake Okeechobee,
por el lago Okeechobee,
and it would overflow its banks
with the topography,
con la topografía,
the Sawgrass Prairies,
el Sawgrass Prairies,
into the mangrove swamps,
reaching Florida Bay,
llegar a la Bahía de Florida,
is the southern end of this system,
el extremo sur de este sistema,
are these inputs that come in,
son estas contribuciones que llegan,
100 miles north.
a 160 kilómetros al norte.
or invisible boundaries
or insufficient water.
o insuficiente.
what we've done.
lo que hemos hecho.
we have dredged the Everglades
excavado en los Everglades
that used to reach the bay
del agua que llegaba a la bahía
and rainbows, unfortunately.
y arcoíris, por desgracia.
is intrinsically tied
está intrínsecamente unida
of mankind's relationship
las relaciones de la humanidad
these beautiful pictures,
I can tell you the real story.
les cuento la verdad.
of which we're discussing.
de lo que estamos hablando.
responsible for the drinking water
responsable del agua potable
the agricultural fields
a los campos de agricultura
de tomates y naranjas
de estadounidenses.
of water in the summer
de agua en verano
6,000 years ago.
de hierba hace 6000 años.
for the over half a million acres
de más de 1000 kilómetros cuadrados
that are responsible
of fertilizers into the watershed,
en el parteaguas,
understand how this system works,
cómo funciona este sistema,
connected to it,
into several different narratives.
en varias historias diferentes.
in Lake Okeechobee,
en el lago Okeechobee,
de los Everglades.
to about 400 nesting pairs today.
a 400 pares de nidos.
one source of food, an apple snail,
el caracol manzana,
an aquatic gastropod.
un gastrópodo acuático.
the Everglades,
los Everglades,
and draining the wetlands,
y a drenar los pantanos,
of the kites declined.
caracoleros descendió.
not only communicate this relationship
transmitiera esta relación
that would communicate
that they've come to depend on each other,
a depender el uno del otro,
out these plans to make a photo,
para realizar esta fotografía,
down in Okeechobee --
la fauna de Okeechobee
so it takes special permission to do.
extinción, se necesita permiso).
just right under the water.
bajo el agua.
this crazy idea.
down to Lake Okeechobee
9-hour shifts from dawn until dusk,
durante 9 horas de sol a sol,
might communicate this.
que podría transmitir esto.
por fin, lo conseguí:
After setting up the platform,
Tras instalar la plataforma,
coming over the cattails.
viniendo hacia las totoras.
he goes straight for the trap.
all those months of planning, waiting,
planificando, esperando,
I can't believe it!]
¡no me lo puedo creer!
when that happened.
que estaba cuando ocurrió.
who's never seen this bird
ha visto este pájaro
para que le importe,
on just one species
para una única especie
so incredible, so valuable, so important.
tan increíble y tenga tanto valor.
here to Gainesville
in the Everglades
an unhealthy relationship with gators.
tenía una relación poco sana con ellos.
equivalent of sharks.
tiburones de agua dulce.
they're not just apex predators.
no simples y sumos depredadores.
of the Everglades,
down in the winter
el agua para en invierno
called gator holes.
hoyos de caimán.
as the water drops down,
que la lluvia pare,
and they'll be able to forage.
on this relationship,
an ancient reptile,
un reptil milenario,
parezca vulnerable?
of about 120 of them,
the right decision.
la decisión acertada.
I'm not going to rally you guys,
no voy a concentrarlos
"Save the Everglades for the gators!"
a los Everglades de los caimanes!"
they're so ubiquitous,
success stories of the US.
de conservación de EE.UU.,
that no matter who you are,
que, no importa quién seas,
and that's the roseate spoonbill.
La espátula rosada.
a really tough time in the Everglades,
en los Everglades,
of nesting pairs in Florida Bay,
de nidos en la Bahía de Florida,
they looked better on their hats
lucían mejor en sus sombreros
is intrinsically tied
está intrínsecamente ligado
cycle of water in the Everglades,
de agua de los Everglades,
the Everglades watershed.
as the water drew down,
con la caída del agua,
so they have to touch whatever they eat.
tocando todo lo que comen.
concentrated pools of fish
to feed their young.
of the Everglades --
en el icono de los Everglades,
of the overall health of the system.
del sistema.
in the mid-20th century --
del siglo XX,
draining the southern Everglades.
de los Everglades.
of that water from moving south.
del agua de que llegaran al sur.
started reaching their peak,
alcanzaron su límite,
the real spoonbill story,
de la espátula
is more something like this.
es más algo como esto.
nesting pairs in Florida Bay today,
en la Bahía de Florida,
the system so much.
are shouting, they're screaming,
despite all we've done and we've drained
hemos hecho, hemos vaciado,
waiting to be put back together.
esperando a que los unan de nuevo.
about South Florida,
del sur de Florida,
this unstoppable force of mankind
esta fuerza humana imparable
of tropical nature.
de la naturaleza tropical.
that we are forced with a new appraisal.
a hacer una nueva estimación.
or our drinking water?
del agua potable?
on those questions.
ante esas preguntas.
as residents, as stewards
ciudadanos, residentes, representantes,
to their promises.
cumplan con su promesa.
sino también económico.
but economic sense as well.
put your feet in the water.
metan los pies en el agua.
around the country,
and these natural areas
as iconic and emblematic
otras naturalezas.
starting to come around,
a cambiar de opinión,
this swampy wasteland,
de páramo pantanoso,
of international importance.
in the last 60 years.
los últimos 60 años.
ambitious wetland restoration project,
de restauración de pantano del mundo,
is on us in the Sunshine State.
está puesto en nosotros.
for wetland restoration
la restauración de pantanos
we want to attach our flag to.
queremos que pertenezca nuestra bandera.
is our greatest test.
son nuestra prueba más decisiva.
mantener el planeta.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mac Stone - PhotographerFlorida-based photographer Mac Stone specializes in documenting the Everglades, an area he prizes for its wildlife and flora.
Why you should listen
Mac Stone is a conservation photographer from Gainesville, Florida. Growing up exploring the springs, swamps, and hammocks of North Central Florida, he developed a passion for photography at a young age.
Over the years his camera has carried him to some of the most remote and imperiled areas this side of the globe. For six months, Stone lived in Ecuador during the presidential overthrow of 2005 and worked with Wildlife Conservation Society biologists in the Amazon rainforest. Soon after, he moved to Honduras and lived in a small village along the Cangrejal River. For two years he taught photography to underprivileged youth as a way to raise environmental awareness in the region. Some of the students have gone on to win international acclaim and start up their own eco-tourism businesses. Through photography, Stone strives to start new conversations and expose the dynamic relationship between mankind and the natural world.
Currently, his work focuses on America's swamps in an attempt to change public opinion towards our country’s wetlands. After spending five years living and working in the Everglades watershed, he will be releasing a 304-page coffee table book about the heralded River of Grass. Everglades: America's Wetland, published by University Press of Florida in October 2014 has won a silver medal with the Florida Book Awards and is now in its second printing.
Mac Stone | Speaker | TED.com