Preserving America’s public land is at the heart of many outdoorsman. Here is a collection of photos that showcase the unique beauty of our public land.
Lawmakers, conservationists and sportsmen have debated the transfer of public lands from federal to state control. Those opposed to the legislation fear that states, if one day given these properties, will sell them in times of financial strain, restricting them from public access forever thereafter.
The debate is fiercely polarized, and one can easily lose him or herself in the intricacies and potential outcomes of the proposed measures. However, we thought we’d take a step back and highlight the land in question. The Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service keep extensive photo archives of our nation’s public land, and we’ve delved through the collections and featured 23 of our favorite images below.
All images public domain. Made available by BLM, FWS, Flickr
Photos credits, in order of appearance: Bob Wick, BLM; Tom Koerner/USFWS; Tom Koerner/USFWS; Katie Theule; Bob Wick; Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service; Bob Wick, BLM California; Bob Wick, BLM California; Katie Theule; Bob Wick, BLM California; Bob Wick; Bob Wick, BLM California; Tom Askew; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM; Bob Wick, BLM.
Whether it’s still-lifes, dog paintings or scenes of hunters and anglers, Joseph Sulkowski derives his inspiration from personal contact with the natural world. He carries out his visions through a lifelong discipline to his craft in which hand-ground paints, carefully prepared oils and varnishes, and handcrafted linen canvases and gessoed panels play a vital role in the quality of each work of art.
All this and more about the immensely gifted artist is detailed by author Brooke Chilvers, one of the foremost experiets on wildlife and sporting art. Altogether, the large-format, 240 pages book features more than 180 paintings and dozens of sketches. Shop Now
