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Anyone who says America no longer has
any frontiers obviously hasn't been to Lake Clark. For the For the
intrepid nature photographer, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a
paradise found. It's a wild land in which — unlike many other national
parks — no "improvements" to nature have been made. Within the park, and two active volcanoes form an
important link in the Pacific "chain of fire." Alpine lakes dot the
landscape and rivers run freely through it. Tundra, coastal, forest, and
riparian zones coexist here as well, sustaining an incredible array of
plant and animal life over Lake Clark's 2.6 million acres.
Untamed rivers cascade dramatically to
the sea through forests of Sitka and white spruce. Coastal cliffs hold
fossil remnants of 150 million years of sea life. The spectacular scenery
is unrivaled.
From these mountain ranges flows an extensive river system the exits into
Cook Inlet. During the latter part of July and through August the
local creeks and rivers witness a massive influx of salmon. The salmon run is a major food
source for the Alaskan brown bears, which come from the surrounding
countryside to feed on the fish as they return to spawn after spending
three years in the North Pacific. The bears, intent on fishing or grazing
in nearby meadows, give us
the opportunity to photograph them in a variety of habitats. Bald
eagles stand lookout in spruce trees lining Shelter Creek. North America's largest
kittiwake colony plus colonies of horned and tufted puffins call the
nearby islands home.
Within this environment we will find some of the best bear viewing in
Alaska coupled with the opportunity to
photograph the puffin and kittiwake rookeries on two nearby islands.
Our base camp for this once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity will be the
Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, accessible only by boat or
small aircraft. It is situated on the edge of Lake Clark National Park and
near the 10,000 ft. volcano Mount Iliamna. The exclusive wilderness
setting of our lodge, right in the middle of prime bear habitat, offers
superb accommodations in a pristine environment. From the Lodge we will be
taking short day trips via 4-wheel ATV's to photograph bears. Also planned
is a two day tent camp stay at Shelter Creek (sleeping on cots) for more
bear landscape photography and two boats trips to nearby islands to
photograph the puffin and kittiwake rookeries.
Spectacular wildlife viewing and photography,
gourmet cuisine, and great company is what you can look
forward to. Combined with the opportunity to improve your photographic
skills through professional instruction, field-mentoring and tech talks, make
this a trip not to be missed. Due to the tent camp the single occupancy
option is not available for this trip.
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VIEW IMAGES
FROM RECENT TRIPS
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I T I N E R A R Y
(Note: There are 19 hours of daylight for this trip.) |
| Day 1 |
Morning
flight from Anchorage to Silver Salmon Creek Lodge. Afternoon bear
shoot. |
| Day 2 |
All day
field shoots near lodge photographing brown bears. |
| Day 3 - 4 |
Transport to
tent camp on Shelter Creek. The location has breathtaking scenery that
permits photographing bears and wildlife from a new perspective. It is
here that sows fish while there cubs play nearby. Eagles and gulls
stand watch nearby waiting to scavenge any leftovers. If you get tired
of photography, it is great fishing location for humans too. Boat trip
to an off shore island to photography nesting tufted puffins. |
| Day 5 |
Morning return to
lodge with afternoon field shoots. |
| Day 6 |
Day trips via boat
to off shore island - home to many species of bird life
including common murres,
kittiwakes, eider ducks, and horned puffins. |
| Day 7 |
Morning field shoot
(more bears) followed by return to Anchorage. |
Registration:
ON-LINE
REGISTRATION
Trip
Costs Include:
Lodging and meals as indicated. Air and boat transportation as indicated
above. Applicable entrance fees; taxes
and service charges.
Not Include:
Activities not indicated on itinerary;
travel/baggage/accident/cancellation insurance; gratuities; personal use
items such as phone, laundry, etc.; film.
Airfares:
Air fare costs for flights from participants home city to Anchorage, AK
are not included. Participant is responsible for making their own
arrangements to arrive in Anchorage in time for the flight to Lake Clark
National Park.
A deposit of $500.00 is
required at the time of registration with the balance due in full one
hundred and twenty (120) days prior to the start of the trip.
Reservations: Due to the popularity of this trip, making an early reservation is recommended. You can reserve a place by
either
registering on-line or by calling
Wildlight Photography at (612) 804-7377 during the weekday office hours of 9:00 am-4:30 pm CST.
We accept credit cards, or we will hold your
reservation for seven days, while awaiting your personal check or money
order. Make checks payable to "Mark Lissick/Wildlight Nature Photography".
Payments can be mailed to Mark Lissick/Wildlight Nature Photography, 4501 Oak Drive, Edina, Minnesota 55424.
For international residents: Please contact Wildlight
Nature Photography to discuss payment arrangements.
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel 120 days or more prior to departure, a refund less a cancellation fee of 50% of your initial deposit will be made.
Per person charges for cancellations received 120 days or less from the
trip start date are as follows: 120-101 days - 35% of trip cost; 100-81
days - 50% of trip cost; 80-61 days - 65% of trip cost; 60 or fewer days
prior to departure - 100% of trip cost. We recommend that you purchase
cancellation insurance as this policy is strongly adhered to. Note: In
addition of cancellation fees, deposits required to guarantee hotel
rooms or local air transportation may be nonrefundable. The purchase of travel insurance
covering baggage, accident/life and trip cancellation is highly
recommended. Wildlight Nature Photography reserves the right to cancel
any group due to insufficient registration. In the even of such
cancellation, those with reservations shall be notified as soon as
possible and a full refund of trip payment will be given. Wildlight
Nature Photography is not responsible for additional expenses incurred
in preparation for a trip.
Payment of deposit represents an acceptance of the
following terms and conditions: Wildlight Nature Photography, its
affiliates and all cooperating airlines and agencies act only in the
capacity of agents in all matter of transportation and tour operation, and
their liability is limited to the terms of the airline tickets, boat, and land
accommodation contracts. They are not responsible for any delays,
inconveniences, accidents, expense or mishap of any kind whatsoever
resulting entirely, or in part, from the negligence of others or from
causes beyond their control. They can accept no responsibility for losses
or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services,
sickness, weather, strike, riot, war, quarantine or other causes. All such
losses or expenses must be born by the participants as program rates
provide for arrangements only for the time stated. The right is reserved
to substitute hotels of similar category for those indicated and to make
any changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes
in air schedules, weather or naturally occurring geological events.
Baggage is at owner's risk entirely. No refund can be made for unused
hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing trips or tours unless arrangements are
made at the time of booking. The right is reserved to decline to accept or
to retain any person as a program member for any reason which affects the
operation of the program or the rights, welfare, or enjoyment of the other
program members, and refund or the recoverable land program services is
the limit of the liability of Wildlight Nature Photography and its
affiliates.
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