North Knife: Farthest North
I want to thank all of you. So much support and encouragement has been shown for this
project and for me and it’s painful to have to admit that with only two days
left, it seems impossible that we can make our goal. The frustrating part of
course is that we are 52% of the way there.
But I am very stubborn and having come this close I have no intention of quitting now.
All the extra equipment I wanted will not be purchased. Extra gear I’d hoped to carry will be jettisoned. Filming beluga whales underwater will have to be abandoned for now, and the wolves may have to wait. Thanks to the continuing support of Churchill Wild here will be the odyssey of searching for polar bears, of seeing and recording belugas from the surface, and above all the serendipity of being in the field. You never know what will happen or what you may see which is probably the point of the thing.
Above all, you have to be plain lucky.
I just received word that at the invitation of the community of Arviat I will be able to cross to the northeast corner of Hudson Bay and accompany Inuit hunters out onto the tundra. I have no idea what I will find or how far we will travel. But I can promise you this: The days are long in light and every moment will be richly put to use. I will have my sound gear, my camera, and as many lenses as I can carry. So wish me luck, that my luck continues.
The great Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen froze his ship to the ice on the hope of being carried to the North Pole. He didn’t make it all the way, but he came closer than anyone before him and returned with a wealth of data and experience that greatly influenced future explorations and our view of the world. He called his story Farthest North. Unlike Nansen I promise no new worlds, no great science, no alteration of the weltanschauung except certainly my own. But I can promise through my writing, recording and photography to share what I experience and in that, take you on the journey with me.
If you email me at MSL@MarkSethLender.com I will keep you in the loop. Stay tuned. It’s only the beginning. And again, thanks to all of you who “Liked” this project and a very special thank you to all of you who pledged support.
Best regards,
Mark Seth Lender
34
Backers
$8,767
pledged of $8,625 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Apr 30, 2011 -
Jun 29, 2011
(60 days)
- First created · 0 backed
- Has not connected Facebook
- Website: MarkSethLender.com
Pledge $1 or more
3 backers
Membership in the Arctic Circle, which entitles you to email notification of my posts to the photographic trip blog, direct from Hudson Bay, and my sincere thanks. Every single contribution counts.
Pledge $10 or more
4 backers
Membership in the Arctic Circle, plus your name on my website donor list (if you don’t want your name shown you can be listed as “Anonymous.”).
Pledge $25 or more
7 backers
Download of the long version of my audio recording of Allen’s Hummingbirds roosting in a eucalyptus grove on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, plus everything above.
Pledge $75 or more
5 backers
Signed copy of my new book of wildlife writings, Salt Marsh Diary, a year on the Connecticut Coast, personalized thank-you e-postcard with a large JPEG image of one of my photographs, plus everything above. [International donors please contact me for shipping costs]
Pledge $100 or more
4 backers
The 4 X 4: Four of my 4-sided full color postcards, with a close sequence of 4 images of a mountain bluebird landing (the sequence in the video in this funding request), plus everything above. [International donors, please contact me for shipping costs]
Pledge $500 or more
1 backer
Your choice of one of my best photographs (Fuji Chromira print) from North Knife (signed strictly limited edition of 50, Museum Mounted, 8 X 12 image or larger, plus everything above. [International donors, please contact me for shipping costs]
Pledge $1,000 or more
1 backer
Your choice of another of my best photographs (Fuji Chromira print) from North Knife (signed strictly limited edition of 50, Museum Mounted, 8 X 12 image or larger) plus if successfully obtained, a hydrophone recording of singing beluga whales, plus everything above. [International donors, please contact me for shipping costs]
Pledge $2,500 or more
1 backer
One-on-one, 3 - 4 hour photographic fieldtrip with me to a Connecticut coastal marsh (September 2011) plus homemade lunch on my front porch (yes, I can cook), plus everything above. [You can bring a friend on this one if you like]
Comments