Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced the retirement of Bob Wick, one of its most prolific photographers, after a 30-year career. Wick’s images of public lands across the American West have been seen and shared by millions; some of them became iconic symbols of the wildlife and areas being preserved. As a tribute to Wick’s efforts and keen eye, I wanted to collect some of my favorites from his body of work and share them here.
American Landscapes, Seen Through the Lens of Bob Wick
-
A flower-covered mountain seen during the 2017 "super bloom" event in California's Carrizo Plain National Monument. Photographer Bob Wick: "The Valley floor has endless expanses of yellows and purples from coreopsis, tidy tips and phacelia, with smaller patches of dozens of other species. Not to be outdone, the Temblor Range is painted with swaths of orange, yellow and purple like something out of a storybook." #
Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management -
-
Giants in California's Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area—a view of part of the sequoia-grove complex managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located near Sequoia National Park #
Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management -
-
These small dunes in the Cadiz Dunes Wilderness were formed by north winds pushing sands off the Cadiz Dry Lake in the Mojave Trails National Monument in California. #
Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management -
-
Sunlight and fog play along a stretch of Northern California's King Range National Conservation Area. The King Range NCA covers 68,000 acres and extends along 35 miles of coastline between the mouth of the Mattole River and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. #
Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management -
-
-
-
A view of the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico. The cone-shaped tent-rock formations are the products of erosion affecting deposits left by volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago, dumping pumice, ash, and tuff more than 1,000 feet thick. #
CC BY Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management -
-
-
A wintry scene in the Conway Summit Area of Critical Environmental Concern in Mono County, California. The backdrop is formed by 12,000-foot peaks of the Ansel Adams Wilderness and Yosemite National Park. #
Bob Wick / Bureau of Land Management -
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.