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Moonlight Madness Open House in Athabasca
AWC-WPAC and Events | December 2018

It was a gorgeous night for Athabasca’s kick off to the Christmas Season: Moonlight Madness on November 30. The evening features all sorts of community events including a Santa Claus parade, pictures with the jolly old elf himself and a fireworks display. As part of our local outreach and education efforts, we held an Open House and Watershed Photographic Art Show & Sale.

We featured two local photographers, R.G. Holmberg and James Hammond (Instagram: __jameshammond__ ), and they showed their pictures taken in the watershed. We also had yummy hot chocolate and goodies for our guests. There was a great turnout and both photographers made some sales.

We also took the opportunity to teach our local citizens more about the Athabasca Watershed Council. We ran a slide show prepared by Dr Holmberg on the Athabasca River Basin: Glacier to Delta. We also chatted about our upcoming projects and more. It was a fun evening and would like to thank everyone who visited, the Athabasca Heritage Society for allowing us to show in the main room of the Train Station and of course our photographers.

More Pictures of Event Here

R.G. Holmberg

Dr. Robert Homberg is Professor Emeritus, Biology at  Athabasca University. Between 1974 and 2007 (when he retired), Robert helped develop and deliver Athabasca University courses in introductory biology, ecology, animal behaviour and science projects. In addition, he administered courses in human physiology, human genetics, wildflowers, human sexuality and environmental science.

About his photography:

“I make photographs because I like to document nature. I hope that my photographs will help remind people how interesting and enjoyable is our natural world. In turn, interest and enjoyment may lead to increased value and better protection of nature.

I started making photographs in high school using 35 mm film for black and white prints. When I was in university, I switched mainly to slides (35 mm transparencies). In the last few years I have gone digital. In the beginning, I photographed my family and our activities. In graduate school, I documented my research. When I became a biology professor I used photography to illustrate lectures for students and talks for the general public. Athabasca University has used my photographs for illustrating course materials, for websites and in a mural. About 400 of my photos are in the Athabasca River Basin Image Bank. (https://athabascau.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/au%3Ariver). These photos can be used by anyone, with acknowledgement,  for non-commercial purposes. About 2009, I started printing my photographs for others.”

James Hammond

James an Englishmen by birth, served for 10 years in Her Majesties Royal Marines, completing numerous tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq.  Now a veteran, he continues to use his experience in harsh environments and conflict zones to forge a niche with photography.

About the photos:

“We planned for this trip well in advance, completing numerous outings along different sections of the river and spending a considerable amount of time on the Calling River whilst in flood.  The latter, allowing us to fine-tune our skills around debris and obstacles and the small amount of white water this particular river offers.

It took us 8 days from start to finish.  This involved constant paddling and leaving enough daylight hours to pick an adequate campsite.  Throughout the trip, the temperature was low as well as the water level.  The water level was the biggest worry to us as it made identifying obstacles difficult when navigating the numerous rapids and rock gardens this river has to offer.
Once we were past the Grand Rapids, we saw little sign of human activity.  Each night whilst in our tent, we were treated to wolves howling, and by day we saw Moose, River Otters and numerous species of birds.
This river has so much to offer in terms of exploration and adventure, not to mention the vast array of wildlife to be seen in their natural habitat undisturbed by man. The grandeur of the Grand Rapids is just breathtaking.  Having this river and being able to access it is a huge privilege and I hope to explore it more and more as time goes on.”

See you again next year!