Professor Steven David Johnson, conservation photographer, partnered with production company and writer-director Michael Oates on a new nature documentary 鈥淲etlands of Wonder: The Hidden World of Vernal Pools.鈥� The documentary is funded by the with assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The 54-minute program features the annual life cycle of vernal pools 鈥� unique, isolated wetland ecosystems that usually emerge in shallow depressions in the ground around forests, seasonally-flooded woodlands or floodplains.
The film began airing last month on .
Johnson鈥檚 video and images 鈥渁dd both visual beauty and a deeper ecological understanding鈥� to the film, Oates said.
He reached out after seeing Johnson鈥檚 work on the Nature Conservancy website. The Nature Conservancy also featured Johnson鈥檚 photos on the cover and in a feature article in the Summer 2021 issue. The feature content and cover design later won .
Johnson focuses on vernal pools of Appalachia. For more on his work, visit .
Oates said he most appreciated how Johnson鈥檚 footage captures the vernal pools as an intensely competitive environment. 鈥淎ll of us know of the lions, leopards, and hyenas that predate the animals of the African plains, but few of us realize that similar predators, with equally large appetites, exist in these small pools. Steve’s footage captures that and does so in a way that viewers can relate to.鈥�
The documentary provides up-close views as well as rare underwater footage of the daily behavior of species that inhabit vernal pools, including the striking Eastern tiger salamander, a state endangered species in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Additional production partners for the film include the Delaware Forest Service, University of Delaware, Delaware Nature Society, 黑料正能量 and Virginia Vernal Pools, LLC.
Stunning work, Steve, and congratulations!