BOOK CELEBRATES WIND RIVER WILDS

Wind River Wilderness is a large-format book, edited by Roger Chilcote and published by Laguna Wilderness Press, which is (according to its jacket copy) “a testament to one of the most magnificent, diverse, and pristine wilderness environments in the continental U.S. A stunningly beautiful book of photographs and essays in celebration of the Wind River area of Wyoming, the book features the work of regional and internationally renowned photographers, including Henry Holdsworth, Robert Ketchum, Tom Mangelsen, David Muench, Fred Pflughoft, and Jeff Vanuga….Gretel Ehrlich, whose Solace of Open Spaces has become a classic, wrote the introductory essay. Other essays were written by people recognized for their literary work as well as their many years of experience in the area: Merideth Taylor on wildlife and resources, C.L. “Chip” Rawlins on the mountain ranges, Tucker Smith on the artistic legacy, Erik Molvar on the Red Desert, Dennis Sun Rhodes on the Native American legacy, Florence Rose Shepard on the historical context, and Ronald Frost on the area’s geology.”

This book may be just right for that big-city relative who wonders why you live in Wyoming. I have not seen it yet, but plan to soon. And I’ll request that my library order a copy. The book’s photographers have great reps in the West, as do the writers, notably Wyomingites Rawlins, Williams, Ehrlich, and Molvar. Rawlins’ essay in the book is entitled “Wind River Range: An Appreciation,” and is an excerpt from his book “Sky’s Witness: A Year in the Wind River Range.” Chip has won a creative writing fellowship and a Blanchan/Doubleday Memorial Award from the Wyoming Arts Council.
- posted by Michael Shay @ 9:53 AM