These photographs are the product of a collaboration between SAGE Magazine and Westies, a student group at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies that explores issues affecting the North American West. Together we put out a call for photos that tell stories about important Western topics. And, boy, did we get ‘em! Within weeks, dozens of people had shipped us hundreds of images taken out beyond the 100th meridian. Some of the contributors were students at or alumni of Yale. Some were simply residents of the West. All submitted capitvating images with compelling stories. The photos captured everything from muskox reintroduction efforts in Alaska to American Indian tribes advocating for dam removal in southern Oregon to an immense Mexican wilderness. It was a pleasure for us to peruse images bearing so much obvious love and concern for some of North America’s most magnificent landscapes. We hope you’ll enjoy our selection, and the story it tells about a land we’re still learning to live up to, even after all these years.
– Shane Hetzler and Michael Parks
The People of the West
Natural Landscapes
Human-Impacted Landscapes
Wildlife
Note: Because we enjoyed the genuine passion and personalities they revealed, we have, where possible, published our contributors’ captions without editing.
