The Creative-Native Project: Kim Baker, conservation photographer and the Illinois River Survey

Both photographs in this post of the Illinois River courtesy of Kim Baker

Kim Baker not only captures the beauty of what she sees in Oklahoma with her unique eye for composition and detail she also uses her work as a vehicle to promote conservation in her state.She is a native Oklahoman and has been photographing the state for more than 25 years. Her landscapes have been exhibited across the state and have been published in Oklahoma Today Magazine, Outdoor Oklahoma and AAA's Home and Away; her clients include among others, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, the Oklahoma Department of commerce as well as advertising agencies. Her work is also in numerous private collections.

In 2001, Kim started a photographic project documenting the rivers of Oklahoma designed to increase public awareness and appreciation for the state's water resources. It has been exhibited across the state and profiled in many Oklahoma publications. She works in cooperation with organizations and groups that safeguard the state's natural resources including the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, the Oklahoma Biological Survey, the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Save the Illinois River (STIR), the Sierra Club, the Oklahoma Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the Illinois River Watershed Partnership Group among others.She lives exactly what we are trying to show in the Creative-Native Project as she has made a commitment to use her photographs to advance conservation, to inspire and empower as well as inform and affect change. If we don't pay attention to and work to conserve the places Kim shows us they will be lost forever. See where a lot of this information came from and read more in depth about Kim and her work, view her photographs and learn more about her projects by going to Kim's website.www.oklahomaphotography.comWe will be meeting Kim and learning more about her art on the Illinois River near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It is an Oklahoma designated Scenic River but it's water quality is endangered. She has put enormous effort into preserving this beautiful river and has created a three day event from May 20-22 on various spots along the river to bring attention to the problems the river faces and bring together photographers, environmentalists and others interested in protecting the river. We will also be there documenting some of the events and interviewing some of the other environmentally oriented individuals attending. To learn more and to attend go to....www.oklacps.comBelow is a letter from Kim highlighting all of the activities and events she had worked so hard to put together. If you can, come and support this important event.

Hello all,I want to thank all of you very much for being a part of the Illinois River Survey. I hope everyone has had a chance to get out and enjoy the warmer weather we have been experiencing.

This update contains more details about the events planned for the Illinois River Survey

May 20-22, 2011. I would like to say a special thank you to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) for donating to the photographer’s orientation packet the new Oklahoma Wildlife Management Area Atlas.

Illinois River Survey Events May 20-22, 2011May 20, 2011

Friday night fireside chat and orientation meet-up

Time: 8:00PM - Directions are available here.

Meet @ Elephant Rock Nature Park.

Please join us for a come and go orientation meeting and fireside chat Friday night after sunset.

May 21, 2011

Lunch

Time 12:00 AM - 2:00 PM Directions are available here.

STIR and the Illinois River Village group is hosting lunch Saturday for Illinois River Survey collaborators

Float trip

Time 3:00 PM - Float Trip put-in directions available here.

We will leave from the Illinois River Village and caravan to the float trip put-in.

Float Trip from Flint Creek/Illinois River Confluence to Chewey Bridge.

May 22, 2011

Hike on J.T Nickel Nature Preserve

Time 6:00 AM - Directions to the J.T. Nickel headquarters available here.

Join the Illinois River survey for a special hike on the Nickel Preserve led by Oklahoma Nature Conservancy Director Mike Fuhr as we explore unique ecological locations on the preserve.

Illinois River Survey Collaborating Photographers

Kim Baker

Kevin Blackwood

Sheliah Bright

Tyler Bright

Lesa Cordle

Ron Day Brian Favell

Mike Fuhr

R.E. (Bob) Lindsey

Mark Nault

Jay Pruett

Illinois River Survey | Conservation photography book

Collaborators

*Sheliah Bright: Oklahoma author and photographer,

* Priscilla Crawford: Oklahoma Biological Survey and the

Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory

* John Gifford: Oklahoma author. Author of Oklahoma Sportfishing and

Small Stream Bass Fishing: A Complete Anglers Guide to Bass Fishing

off the Beaten Path: Tackle, Tactics, Timing, and Tricks

* Mike Fuhr with the Oklahoma Chapter of the Nature Conservancy

* Dr. Brad Agnew, Professor of History at Northeastern University in Tahlequah, OK *Oklahoma Today art director, Steven Walker of Walker Creative Inc, is donating some of his valuable

time for creative oversight of the book project. Thank You, Steven!

Groups, organizations and individuals collaborating with or providing sponsorship for the Illinois River Survey: Save the Illinois River (STIR)

Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission (OSRC)

Oklahoma Conservation Commission Blue Thumb Program

Oklahoma Biological Survey and the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory

Oklahoma Chapter of the Nature Conservancy

Walker Creative, Inc

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC)

Ed Brocksmith

Dick Turnbull

Kathy Tibbits

Illinois River Village