I recently received an interesting question in a photography email group that I subscribe to, and felt compelled to share it with fellow Notebook readers. It read basically like this: ?I am interested in knowing what purposes all of you feel photography serves. In other words, what place in your heart does photography fill?? A rather simple question at first glance- or so I thought. As I began to sort out reasons I enjoy photographing outdoors, it occurred to me that camera in itself is one of most powerful tools we have at our disposal when it comes to preserving our country?s natural heritage. The inspiration that photography provides in people makes it a medium unlike any other. Whether you decide to share your works with friends and family or broadcast them far and wide, fact remains that our natural areas are indeed being preserved in one way or another.

In researching for this article, I came across a fascinating story of Gordon River in Tasmania. A photographer by name of Peter Dombrovskis captured an image of what is known as ?Rock Island Bend? (Check out ?Conservation Corner Online? forum on HeartlandOutdoorsmanCom for a glimpse of this remarkable photo, as it is truly amazing!). As story goes, it was decided that a dam should be built to harness power of river, and public outcry quickly ensued. This one single frame became an important symbol of fight to save river, because it depicted wild untamed beauty of this ecologically significant waterway and people instantly embraced it while coordinating their efforts. Not everyone goes out with camera to use it as a tool for conservation, obviously?but sometimes we overlook how important sharing these memories can be, and residual benefits that often go unseen. Remember old adage ?Take only memories...Leave only footprints?? The next time you are out and about, focus of this article will become much more evident while keeping that thought in mind.

The most comprehensive books ever assembled for understanding ecology of Illinois' Natural Resources are available to each and every one of us by sending one simple email! The Dept. of Natural Resources provides these through a project called Critical Trends Assessment Program, with manuals serving as inventories of resources encompassing many regions and watersheds throughout state. A list of areas covered is listed below. You should find your favorite fishing hole covered, without a doubt. Most of following watershed assessments consist of a four-volume report covering area's geology, water resources, living resources, socio-economic profile, and environmental quality. Most include a color summary report, and several also provide a historical account of area's ecology:

Big Muddy River Cache River Calumet Area Chicago River/Lake Shore (11 mb acrobat) Driftless Area DuPage River Embarras River Fox River Headwaters Illinois Big Rivers Illinois River Bluffs Kankakee River Kaskaskia River Kinkaid Area Kishwaukee River LaMoine River Lower Des Plaines Lower Rock River Lower Sangamon River Mackinaw River Prairie Parklands Sinkhole Plain Spoon River Sugar-Pecatonica Rivers Thorn Creek Upper Des Plaines River Upper Rock River Upper Sangamon River Vermilion (Wabash River basin) Vermilion River (Illinois River Basin)