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Pre-save Clouds Rest and check out more of my work here: https://linktr.ee/zachaffolter. The song and video will be available to stream/view on Friday, May 3rd!
Clouds Rest is an ode to Yosemite National Park, inspired by my time working in the Youth Conservation Corp there in 2013 as well as my other visits to the park. The name of the song references one of the most memorable trails and viewing points in the park, and one that resonates with me the most. The video features both high-quality stock footage filmed in Yosemite as well as my own to showcase the beauty present within the park and inspire people to maintain its glory, and all of the natural world's. Don't forget to like the video and subscribe! :)
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Kiska was captured 44 years ago on this day, and placed in captivity in a tank at Marineland Canada. She died alone in her tank, after losing all five of her children, earlier this year. My film, Black Water, tells her story.
Learn more about Kiska and her story here: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/11/1162863883/kiska-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world-dies-at-canada-amusement-park More info about the film: Black Water is a short, fictional narrative film that explores how killer whales may feel in a captive environment, takes a critical look at the issue of keeping them and other animals in captivity, and above all provides an inspirational message for people who struggle through depression. TAKE ACTION TO HELP TOKI'S FAMILY - THE SOUTHERN RESIDENTS - HERE: https://www.whaleresearch.com/action
Beautiful. Majestic. Free. Killer whales have inspired us for thousands of years with their beauty and grace. Before her passing on August 18th, Tokitae emanated this strength, beauty, and grace and inspired many of us. Her family, the southern residents - a population that frequently inhabits the Salish Sea and coastal waters of Washington State - are on the brink of extinction. While there are other threats, one of the biggest contributors to their struggles is lack of food from major declines in Chinook salmon, their main food source. These declines are primarily caused by dams, such as those on the lower Snake River, that inhibit the spawning patterns of the salmon. The southern residents are at their lowest numbers since the captures of the population for aquaria in the 1970s. Researchers have correlated these declines to the reduction in salmon available for them to eat. In 2018, one whale from this endangered population named Tahlequah (J35) made headlines after her calf died and she carried it for 16 days after its death. As top predators, killer whales play a key role by indicating the health of their environment. They are trying to tell us something is wrong. Will we listen before it's too late? It's time to breach the dams and protect the salmon and this treasured group of killer whales before they are gone. If you want to spread the message, please share this post! More resources: - https://www.whaleresearch.com/encounters (latest updates on whale sightings and photos) - https://www.whaleresearch.com/orca-population - https://www.whaleresearch.com/orcassalmon - https://www.whaleresearch.com/action - https://www.epa.gov/salish-sea/chinook-salmon - http://orcanetwork.org - https://collaboration.idfg.idaho.gov/FisheriesTechnicalReports/Evidence%20Linking%20Delayed%20Mortality%20of%20Snake%20River%20Salmon%20to%20Earlier%20Hydrosystem%20Experience.pdf Moonbeams and starlight
Ocean and Sky sometimes grow sad, but still the stars shine They flicker and dance, shining their love and light to guide you, as I do Today marks yet another year that Tokitae has languished in abysmal conditions at the Miami Seaquarium. She is the last remaining survivor of a brutal capture on this date in 1970. This video is a reprise from a short film I made in Tokitae's perspective 8 years ago, called Breaking Through The Clouds (you can watch here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=forOG1ma7_c). Moonbeams and Starlight, performed by my amazingly talented friend, is a song that Toki's mother sings to her in the film. It still touches my heart and it deserves to stand on its own aside from the film. May Toki one day soon be free of the Miami Seaquarium <3 Visit https://www.orcanetwork.org/retire-lolita for more information about her story and how you can help. Check out our newest video, "Beneath The Waves"!
"Beneath The Waves" is a short narrative film about recognizing all of the beauty that still remains in this world, even among the darkness that we see daily in our lives. Light dances on the pallid blue waves, shimmering and glimmering. Soft clouds drift above; with gold are they glazed. A gentle breeze carries them on while the waves are whispering: “There is a place, a place we all call home, where the light flickers and dances, even in the gloam. It lies beneath, beneath the waves, where no one can harm it, safe from shadow. There is a place, a place we all call home, it shines in the dark, warming your heart. This place it lies inside you, chasing off your fears. This place it lives inside you, drying your tears. There is a place, a place we all call home, where the light flickers and dances, beneath the waves.” When shadows fall across the sea, all may seem lost, like a ship searching endlessly, endlessly to find the shore, and endlessly wanting more. But even as this vessel travels farther and farther into the gale, away from the shimmering light that’s becoming shrouded, its hull may not yet be so frail. Astounding is it, that amidst the fray, by beauty it is still surrounded. If we could but recognize this beauty, the darkness in this world would not seem so overbearing. Remember when you see the waves calm or angry, and the clouds dark or vibrant, they are always whispering: “There is a place, a place we all call home, where the light flickers and dances, beneath the waves” |
AUTHORZach Affolter is a passionate aspiring marine biologist and animal/environmental advocate. Categories
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