Find something outside yourself that is yourself
Then devote yourself to it with all your heart.
Bob Walker, Photographer and Activist
Cheryl Reynolds sent me this quote by Bob Walker, photographer for the East Bay Regional Parks. His photographs and passion are credited with saving much of the open space in the Bay Area and beyond, and with helping people see their own backyard in an entirely different way. He apparently became an activist after a “For Sale” sign appeared on one of his favorite landscapes.
When working with local officials failed, he stepped up to the task by offering slide shows of the region, leading hikes into the area and raising public awareness. He brought his images to the EBRP: interesting staff, persuading local officials and gradually shifting the focus of the board. He worked with several conservation groups on open space issues, including Save Mount Diablo and the East Bay Trails Alliance. In 1998 measure AA was passed, largely because of his efforts, a $225 million dollar bond that increased EBRP space by a third.
A retrospective of his work “After the Storm:Bob Walker and the Art of Environmental Photography”, was shown at the Oakland Museum and a book of the same name was published. A showing of unpublished photos is a current exhibit at the Oakland Museum “In our Own Backyard“. Walker died young but left a remarkable living legacy that spans more than the nine Bay Area counties.
I guess I know the thing I’ve found “outside myself that is myself”. Walker used this metamorphosis to transform the Bay Area. All we’ve done is extend the life of a few beavers.
Thanks to all our donors at the Farmer’s Market and beyond yesterday. My favorite story of the day was the possible existence of a group at County hospital forming called “Doctors for Beavers”. Worth A Dam and friends had a good planning meeting which will help with this next leg of beaver support. We passed around the book and toyed with the idea of a Beaver Better Business Bureau. In closing I’ll leave you with a final Walker quote
“To involve the public you have to make each one of your pictures a thousand times more spectacular than what you would see on the most exquisite day–otherwise you’ll never convey one tenth of what it feels like to be there on the dullest gray day when nothing’s going on”
