of traveling to some incredible places,

一些非常不可思議的地方，

photographing these distant landscapes and remote cultures

並為這些遍佈全球的 遙遠風景和邊緣文化

all over the world.

拍攝照片。

I love my job.

我熱愛我的工作。

But people think it's this string of epiphanies

大家都以為我的工作 應該伴隨著一連串的頓悟、

and sunrises and rainbows,

日出和彩虹，

when in reality, it looks more something like this.

可是在現實中，往往是這樣的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This is my office.

這就是我的辦公室。

We can't afford the fanciest places to stay at night,

我們無法提供最理想的過夜之所，

so we tend to sleep a lot outdoors.

所以我們常常露宿野外。

As long as we can stay dry,

只要我們能保持乾燥，

that's a bonus.

就是一種福利。

We also can't afford the fanciest restaurants.

我們也沒錢吃最高級的餐館。

So we tend to eat whatever's on the local menu.

所以我們要入鄉隨俗地吃當地食物。

And if you're in the Ecuadorian Páramo,

如果你去到厄瓜多的 Páramo，

you're going to eat a large rodent called a cuy.

你將能吃到一種超大的天竺鼠。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But what makes our experiences perhaps a little bit different

但是真正鑄就我們那些

and a little more unique than that of the average person

與眾不同獨特經驗的，

is that we have this gnawing thing in the back of our mind

也許就是哪種扎根 在我們的腦海中的想法，

that even in our darkest moments, and those times of despair,

那就是即使在我們最黑暗的時刻， 和那些絕望的瞬間，

we think, "Hey, there might be an image to be made here,

我們都還會想到： 「嗨，我們該為這裡拍張照片，

there might be a story to be told."

這裡的故事應該讓更多人知道。 」

And why is storytelling important?

為什麼講故事如此重要？

Well, it helps us to connect with our cultural and our natural heritage.

因為，故事是我們與自身文化 和自然遺產的連接紐帶。

And in the Southeast,

但是在美國東南部，

there's an alarming disconnect between the public

公眾與自然區域之間 響起了彼此失聯的警鐘，

and the natural areas that allow us to be here in the first place.

而這片自然區域 恰是我們能進入這裡的大門。

We're visual creatures,

我們都是視覺生物，

so we use what we see to teach us what we know.

所以我們用親眼所見的 去教導我們所知的。

Now the majority of us aren't going to willingly go

我們中的大多數人 都非常不願意

way down to a swamp.

走入一片沼澤。

So how can we still expect those same people to then advocate

所以我們要如何繼續期待這些人，

on behalf of their protection?

會成為提倡保護濕地的表率呢？

We can't.

我們做不到。

So my job, then, is to use photography as a communication tool,

所以我的工作就是， 用攝影作為傳達工具，

to help bridge the gap between the science and the aesthetics,

在科學與美學之間 搭起一座橋樑。

to get people talking,

讓人們交談，

to get them thinking,

讓人們思考，

and to hopefully, ultimately,

然後最終希望，

get them caring.

讓他們關心自然。

I started doing this 15 years ago right here in Gainesville,

15年前，我就在蓋恩斯維爾 這裡從事攝影工作，

right here in my backyard.

就在我家後院中。

And I fell in love with adventure and discovery,

我熱愛冒險、發現，

going to explore all these different places

以及去探索所有的那些

that were just minutes from my front doorstep.

離我家只有幾分鐘路程的不同地方。

There are a lot of beautiful places to find.

在那裡，可以找到許多美麗的地方。

Despite all these years that have passed,

即便這麼多年過去，

I still see the world through the eyes of a child

我依然用孩童的目光 去看待這個世界，

and I try to incorporate that sense of wonderment

並且我每次都盡我所能地

and that sense of curiosity into my photography

嘗試將那些驚歎和好奇的感受，

as often as I can.

用我的攝影描繪出來。

And we're pretty lucky because here in the South,

而且我們非常幸運，因為在南部，

we're still blessed with a relatively blank canvas

我們何其有幸地擁有 這麼一塊空白的畫布，

that we can fill with the most fanciful adventures

讓我們得以在上面填滿 最富有想像力的冒險，

and incredible experiences.

和難以置信的體驗。

It's just a matter of how far our imagination will take us.

想像力有多遠，我們就走多遠。

See, a lot of people look at this and they say,

很多人看著這張照片說道：

"Oh yeah, wow, that's a pretty tree."

「哇哦，這棵樹真漂亮。」

But I don't just see a tree --

可是我看到的不僅僅是樹，

I look at this and I see opportunity.

當我望著這張照片時， 我看到的是契機，

I see an entire weekend.

和一整個愉快的週末。

Because when I was a kid, these were the types of images

因為在我的孩提時代， 正是這類照片

that got me off the sofa and dared me to explore,

讓我離開沙發激勵我去探索，

dared me to go find the woods

激勵我去尋找森林，

and put my head underwater and see what we have.

讓我潛入水底去探查裡面裝著什麼。

And folks, I've been photographing all over the world

諸位，我的攝影足跡遍佈全球。

and I promise you,

我向你們保證，

what we have here in the South,

我們在南部所擁有的，

what we have in the Sunshine State,

我們在陽光之州佛羅里達所擁有的，

rivals anything else that I've seen.

足以媲美我見過的任何風景。

But yet our tourism industry is busy promoting all the wrong things.

但是我們的旅遊業卻在 極力推銷那些錯誤的東西。

Before most kids are 12, they'll have been to Disney World

大部分的孩子在12歲前 去迪士尼世界的次數，

more times than they've been in a canoe

遠遠超出他們在佈滿繁星的星空下，

or camping under a starry sky.

乘駕獨木舟或露營的次數。

And I have nothing against Disney or Mickey; I used to go there, too.

當然我並非反對迪士尼和米老鼠； 我以前也去過。

But they're missing out on those fundamental connections

但是他們因此錯失了

that create a real sense of pride and ownership

可以創造他們與故鄉之間那種

for the place that they call home.

驕傲感與認同感的基礎連結。

And this is compounded by the issue that the landscapes

這是一系列互相關聯的問題：

that define our natural heritage

風景塑造了我們的自然遺產，

and fuel our aquifer for our drinking water

並且補充著我們的地下蓄水層， 以供給被我們認為是

have been deemed as scary and dangerous and spooky.

可怕、危險， 和令人毛骨悚然的飲用水。

When our ancestors first came here,

當我們的祖先第一次踏上這片土地，

they warned, "Stay out of these areas, they're haunted.

他們警告說： 「遠離那些區域，那裡鬧鬼，

They're full of evil spirits and ghosts."

那裡充滿了惡靈與幽魂。」

I don't know where they came up with that idea.

我不知道他們這些想法 是從哪得來的。

But it's actually led to a very real disconnect,

但它確實造成了一種分離、

a very real negative mentality

一種非常消極的心理，

that has kept the public disinterested, silent,

讓公眾對這裡漠不關心和沉默，

and ultimately, our environment at risk.

以致最終， 讓我們的環境處於危險之中。

We're a state that's surrounded and defined by water,

我們是一個由水 包圍和構成的州，

and yet for centuries,

可是幾個世紀以來，

swamps and wetlands have been regarded

沼澤與濕地被視為是

as these obstacles to overcome.

我們需要克服的障礙。

And so we've treated them as these second-class ecosystems,

因此我們將其當做是 次要的生態系統，

because they have very little monetary value

因為它們在金錢上的價值很小。

and of course, they're known to harbor alligators and snakes --

當然，裡面也是短吻鱷 和蛇類的避風港。

which, I'll admit, these aren't the most cuddly of ambassadors.

我不得不承認， 牠們並非這片土地最可愛的使者。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So it became assumed, then, that the only good swamp

所以大家會認為，最好的沼澤

was a drained swamp.

應該是一片乾涸的沼澤。

And in fact,

但事實上，

draining a swamp to make way for agriculture and development

為了農業和開發鋪路 而排乾沼澤的做法，

was considered the very essence of conservation not too long ago.

不久前還被認為是一種 保護濕地的絕對手段。

But now we're backpedaling,

但是現在我們改變了想法，

because the more we come to learn about these sodden landscapes,

因為我們越深入去了解 這些豐澤的景色，

the more secrets we're starting to unlock

我們解鎖的奧秘便越多，

about interspecies relationships

關於各個物種間的關係，

and the connectivity of habitats, watersheds and flyways.

牠們棲息地之間的關聯， 分佈流域和遷徙路線。

Take this bird, for example:

以這種鳥為例。

this is the prothonotary warbler.

這是一隻蘭翅黃森鶯。

I love this bird because it's a swamp bird,

我喜歡這種鳥，因為牠是沼澤鳥。

through and through, a swamp bird.

徹徹底底的沼澤鳥。

They nest and they mate and they breed in these old-growth swamps

牠們從築巢到交配到繁育 都在這片古老的沼澤，

in these flooded forests.

和被水浸沒的森林中。

And so after the spring, after they raise their young,

春天過後等牠們把雛鳥哺育成年，

they then fly thousand of miles over the Gulf of Mexico

牠們將飛越數千英里 橫跨墨西哥灣，

into Central and South America.

進入美國中南部。

And then after the winter,

然後渡過寒冬，

the spring rolls around and they come back.

春天重臨大地，牠們便會返航。

They fly thousands of miles over the Gulf of Mexico.

牠們再次飛越數千英里 橫跨墨西哥灣。

And where do they go? Where do they land?

牠們去了哪裡？牠們在哪著陸？

Right back in the same tree.

牠們回到了同一顆樹。

That's nuts.

這太迷人了。

This is a bird the size of a tennis ball --

這種鳥的體型只有網球大小。

I mean, that's crazy!

我覺得，這太神奇了！

I used a GPS to get here today,

我今天靠GPS導航才能來到這，

and this is my hometown.

而且這還是在我的家鄉。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's crazy.

太不可思議了。

So what happens, then, when this bird flies over the Gulf of Mexico

所以，當這種鳥橫跨墨西哥灣，

into Central America for the winter

進入美國中南部過冬，

and then the spring rolls around and it flies back,

然後春天重返時，牠會再飛回來，

and it comes back to this:

回來所看到的卻是這種景象：

a freshly sodded golf course?

一個新鮮的草地高爾夫球場？

This is a narrative that's all too commonly unraveling

這種事情對於我們這個州來說，

here in this state.

再尋常不過了。

And this is a natural process that's occurred for thousands of years

這一自然歷程存在數千年之久，

and we're just now learning about it.

但我們最近才學會了解它。

So you can imagine all else we have to learn about these landscapes

所以你可以想像這片風景中 還有多少這樣的事情需要去了解，

if we just preserve them first.

但前提是我們要保護它們。

Now despite all this rich life that abounds in these swamps,

現在雖然有如此豐富的物種 生活在沼澤中，

they still have a bad name.

它們卻始終惡名昭彰。

Many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of wading

許多人想到自己跋涉在 佛羅里達的黑水河中時，

into Florida's blackwater.

他們會覺得不舒服。

I can understand that.

我理解這種感受。

But what I loved about growing up in the Sunshine State

但是在陽光之州長大的我， 喜歡這裡的原因是，

is that for so many of us,

我們之中的大多數人，

we live with this latent but very palpable fear

樂於與顯見的潛在恐懼 一同生活，

that when we put our toes into the water,

當我們將腳趾深入水中，

there might be something much more ancient

那裡可能存在著某些 比我們更加古老、

and much more adapted than we are.

比我們更加適應這個環境的生物。

Knowing that you're not top dog is a welcomed discomfort, I think.

當你了解到自己並非這裡的主宰時， 這是非常難受和不安的。

How often in this modern and urban and digital age

在這個現代化、 城市化和數位化的時代，

do you actually get the chance to feel vulnerable,

你有多少機會去體驗脆弱感，

or consider that the world may not have been made for just us?

或者思考這個世界 未必是專為我們而建造的？

So for the last decade,

所以在過去的十年間，

I began seeking out these areas where the concrete yields to forest

我在探尋從鋼筋叢林到真正的森林，

and the pines turn to cypress,

從松樹林到柏木林的區域，

and I viewed all these mosquitoes and reptiles,

然後我看遍了所有的蚊子和爬蟲類，

all these discomforts,

所有這些讓人不舒服的生物，

as affirmations that I'd found true wilderness,

我肯定我找到了真正的荒野，

and I embrace them wholly.

我擁抱它們所有的一切。

Now as a conservation photographer obsessed with blackwater,

身為一個著迷於黑水河的 環境保護攝影師，

it's only fitting that I'd eventually end up

我最終找到了唯一適合我的地方，

in the most famous swamp of all:

也是所有的沼澤地中最著名的地方：

the Everglades.

大沼澤地。

Growing up here in North Central Florida,

在佛羅里達長大，

it always had these enchanted names,

這裡總有一些充滿魔力的地名，

places like Loxahatchee and Fakahatchee,

像洛克瑟哈和斐克瑟哈，

Corkscrew, Big Cypress.

螺絲錐、大絲柏等。

I started what turned into a five-year project

我開始了一個 後來耗時五年的計畫，

to hopefully reintroduce the Everglades in a new light,

希望以一種嶄新、 且更具啟發性的角度，

in a more inspired light.

向世人重新介紹大沼澤地。

But I knew this would be a tall order, because here you have an area

但我知道這會非常辛苦，因為這裡，

that's roughly a third the size the state of Florida, it's huge.

大致有佛羅里達州的三分之一大， 它太大了。

And when I say Everglades,

當我說到大沼澤地的時候，

most people are like, "Oh, yeah, the national park."

可能大部分人會說： 「哦，對，國家公園。」

But the Everglades is not just a park; it's an entire watershed,

但是大沼澤地不僅僅是公園， 它是一整片流域，

starting with the Kissimmee chain of lakes in the north,

發源於北方湖泊的基西米河流域。

and then as the rains would fall in the summer,

當夏天雨季來臨，

these downpours would flow into Lake Okeechobee,

傾盆大雨注入奧科喬比湖，

and Lake Okeechobee would fill up and it would overflow its banks

奧科喬比湖水滿漲時會漫過堤岸，

and spill southward, ever slowly, with the topography,

順著地勢緩慢向南方流去，

and get into the river of grass, the Sawgrass Prairies,

最後進入青草之湖 索格拉斯大草原，

before meting into the cypress slews,

之後再進入大片松柏林，

until going further south into the mangrove swamps,

然後一直向北方蔓延 流入紅樹林沼澤，

and then finally -- finally -- reaching Florida Bay,

最終抵達佛羅里達灣，

the emerald gem of the Everglades,

猶如大沼澤地上的祖母綠寶石，

the great estuary,

這片壯闊的港灣，

the 850 square-mile estuary.

有著850平方英里。

So sure, the national park is the southern end of this system,

所以可以確定的是，國家公園只是 這整個系統的最南端，

but all the things that make it unique are these inputs that come in,

但是讓它變得與眾不同的是，

the fresh water that starts 100 miles north.

那些從100英里外的北方 奔騰而至的淡水。

So no manner of these political or invisible boundaries

沒有政策或是那些看不見的約束

protect the park from polluted water or insufficient water.

可以保護公園遠離水汙染或乾旱。

And unfortunately, that's precisely what we've done.

所以不幸的是，會有這樣的結果 也是我們造成的。

Over the last 60 years,

過去60年中，

we have drained, we have dammed, we have dredged the Everglades

我們泄水、築垻、挖掘大沼澤地，

to where now only one third of the water that used to reach the bay

以至於現在抵達佛羅里達灣的水量，

now reaches the bay today.

只有過去的三分之一。

So this story is not all sunshine and rainbows, unfortunately.

所以不幸的是， 這個故事不全是陽光和彩虹

For better or for worse,

無論好壞與否，

the story of the Everglades is intrinsically tied

大沼澤地的故事，

to the peaks and the valleys of mankind's relationship

本質上與人類和大自然關係的起伏好壞

with the natural world.

是緊密相連的。

But I'll show you these beautiful pictures,

但是我要給你們展示一些美麗的照片，

because it gets you on board.

因為這樣才能讓你們進入狀態。

And while I have your attention, I can tell you the real story.

當你們的注意力被吸引過來時， 我將告訴你們真正的故事。

It's that we're taking this,

我們最初看到的是這樣，

and we're trading it for this,

但我們以驚人的速度 把它變成了這番景象。

at an alarming rate.

很多人沒有意識到的是

And what's lost on so many people

我們正在探討的範圍有多麼大。

is the sheer scale of which we're discussing.

因為大沼澤地所承載的不僅僅是

Because the Everglades is not just responsible for the drinking water

為七百萬佛羅里達居民提供飲用水；

for 7 million Floridians;

現在它還灌溉大量農田，

today it also provides the agricultural fields

以全年種植番茄和橘子，

for the year-round tomatoes and oranges

供應超過三億美國人。

for over 300 million Americans.

同樣的夏季季節性洪水，

And it's that same seasonal pulse of water in the summer

在六千年前形成了青草之河。

that built the river of grass 6,000 years ago.

諷刺的是，今天它同樣 承載著超過50萬英畝、

Ironically, today, it's also responsible for the over half a million acres

一望無際的甘蔗田之河。

of the endless river of sugarcane.

這也意味著在同樣 這片土地和流域中，

These are the same fields that are responsible

施用了極為過量的肥料，

for dumping exceedingly high levels of fertilizers into the watershed,

且永遠改變了這裡的生態系統。

forever changing the system.

為了讓你們不僅僅是了解 這一系統如何運作，

But in order for you to not just understand how this system works,

同樣能與它產生更切身的聯繫，

but to also get personally connected to it,

我決定把故事打亂 放進幾段不同的故事中。

I decided to break the story down into several different narratives.

我想從奧科喬湖比開始我們的故事，

And I wanted that story to start in Lake Okeechobee,

它是大沼澤地生態系統裡 跳動的心臟。

the beating heart of the Everglade system.

為了這樣做，我挑選了一個親善大使，

And to do that, I picked an ambassador,

一種標誌性的生物。

an iconic species.

牠是大沼澤地食螺鳶。

This is the Everglade snail kite.