Visual

JUNE 2019: LUCAS FOGLIA

Conservationists often disagree about how humankind should best move forward from the damage we have already done. Traditionalists argue that we should put a boundary around wild spaces to preserve them, but there is no way to contain the effects of people. More radical conservationists propose moving all people to green cities, supplied with renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, so the countryside can re-wild itself. Responding to this debate, I befriended and photographed people who are working towards a positive environmental future despite the enormity of the task. Human Nature is a series of interconnected stories about our reliance on the natural world and the science that fosters our relationship to it.

Jason Igniting a Controlled Burn, US Forest Service, California 2015 In the United States each year, more than 73,000 wildfires burn approximately 7 million acres of land. The number has been rising. To prevent wildfires, the US Forest Service per… — *Jason Igniting a Controlled Burn, US Forest Service, California 2015*

In the United States each year, more than 73,000 wildfires burn approximately 7 million acres of land. The number has been rising. To prevent wildfires, the US Forest Service performs controlled burns between fire seasons, when the land is wet enough that fires don’t go out of control. The budget for controlled burns is 1 percent of the amount spent fighting wildfires.

New Crop Varieties for Extreme Weather, Geneva Greenhouses, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, New York 2013 New varieties of grapes, peppers, and raspberries are grown and tested under high-voltage lamps at the Agricultural Experimen… — *New Crop Varieties for Extreme Weather, Geneva Greenhouses, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, New York 2013*

New varieties of grapes, peppers, and raspberries are grown and tested under high-voltage lamps at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. Scientists race to create climate-change-resilient agriculture. By crossbreeding domesticated crops with their wild ancestors, they propagate super-hardy strains that can withstand droughts, heat waves, and freezes. As erratic weather patterns intensify, farmers need crops that can cope with such stresses.

Evan Sleeping at Camp 18, Juneau Icefield Research Program, Alaska 2016 If climate-warming trends continue, the Juneau Icefield is expected to completely disappear by 2200. — *Evan Sleeping at Camp 18, Juneau Icefield Research Program, Alaska 2016*

If climate-warming trends continue, the Juneau Icefield is expected to completely disappear by 2200.

Kenzie in a Crevasse, Juneau Icefield Research Program, Alaska 2016Every summer since 1946, members of the Juneau Icefield Research Program have traversed the Juneau Icefield, contributing to the oldest continual study of a glacier in the Western He… — *Kenzie in a Crevasse, Juneau Icefield Research Program, Alaska 2016*
Every summer since 1946, members of the Juneau Icefield Research Program have traversed the Juneau Icefield, contributing to the oldest continual study of a glacier in the Western Hemisphere. The Juneau Icefield in southeast Alaska is one of the largest ice fields in the world, covering more than 1,500 square miles.

Lucas Foglia

Lucas Foglia grew up on a farm in New York and currently lives in San Francisco. Nazraeli Press recently published his third book, Human Nature. Foglia’s prints are held in major collections including at Denver Art Museum, Foam Fotografiemuseum in Amsterdam, International Center of Photography in New York, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Victoria and Albert Museum in London.