Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado

Much of the visual interest and balance in this image comes from its great sense of depth. However, capturing such depth in photographs requires a small aperture and therefore lots of light, and I didn?t find this composition until after sunset. With no accurate way to calculate the long exposure in fading light, I took a long shot, leaving the shutter open until after dark. I resolved to try again in the morning and camped nearby, but the first winter storm of the season blew in within the hour and I woke up to find the area under ten inches of snow.

The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act is comprehensive, locally-driven legislation aimed at safeguarding over 730,000 acres of public lands across the Gunnison Basin and surrounding regions in Western Colorado. Developed through over a decade of grassroots engagement and collaboration with diverse stakeholders including ranchers, water users, local governments, and the outdoor recreation community, the GORP Act seeks to achieve a balance between protecting critical natural resources, preserving traditional land uses, and ensuring sustainable outdoor recreation for future generations.