For my capstone project I combined my Photography, Environmental Studies, and Journalism minors to create a photo essay and brochure. The photo essay is comprised of 15 images and is a visual representation of human environmental impacts in Red River Gorge. The accompanying brochure provides information on leave no trace basics as well as information on other resources related to Red River Gorge. I am a firm believer in the power of photos. You can read an article about pollution but seeing the actual effects whether through photo, video or in person is so much more impactful. It is more difficult to ignore the reality of a situation when you are looking directly at it. This is why I chose to create a photo essay, to document many of the ways that we have an impact on natural spaces like Red River Gorge, and encourage others to make environmentally conscious decisions.

            My photo essay combines the knowledge learned in my Environmental Studies classes and my Photography classes. I have learned a lot about the social aspects of environmental science through classes like Sociology of the Environment, Environmental Philosophy, and Science Communication. These classes have helped me communicate what I have learned about environmental science through my photos. The photo classes I took this semester especially helped me with this project. I took Documentary Photography which taught me how to compose and execute a photo essay. My original plan for the project versus the final product was greatly shaped by my Documentary Photography class. The journalism aspect of my major comes into play with the photojournalistic approach to my photo essay. I am documenting the impacts we have had on Red River Gorge as well as a general sense of the area. I do not use photoshop and use minimal editing to highlight the subject while still keeping the integrity of the original photo and following journalistic guidelines.

            In the brochure I discuss leave no trace basics. By learning how to recreate safely and sustainably in natural spaces we can conserve these important areas for generations to come. The principles of leave no trace are based in environmental science and are in place to help people reduce their impact on the landscape. Most recently, I took a class called Protecting Water Resources where we learned about the many ways that we impact water and ways to minimize that impact. In leave no trace we learn not to camp or use the restroom closer than 200 feet from water sources. This minimizes our impact on the water by keeping waste and other pollutants out of waterways. This information and much more is included in my brochure. More of my Journalism minor is used with this section of my capstone through my explanation of the principles of leave no trace.

            I believe that one of the most important parts of conservation is education. How can someone know that an action is wrong if they have never been told otherwise? People will continue to make unsustainable choices when spending time in nature unless they learn that the behavior is wrong and are presented with an alternative. With the pandemic causing more people to spend time outside, there are more people than ever doing things like hiking and camping for the first time. This is great, but it is still important for them to be properly educated on safe and sustainable recreation practices.

With this brochure I wanted to include basic information that someone would need when spending time in the outdoors. There are a lot of little things like carving your name into rocks that are easy to avoid doing, but people may not know that it is wrong. This brochure is something that is compact and easily accessible especially if it were to be placed in visitor’s centers. I also included QR codes on the back of the brochures that link to more resources and can be updated with more information over time. Educating yourself is the first step in making more environmentally conscious decisions and this brochure can be the first step for some to do just that.