Ken Lockwood Gorge gets 50 Adjacent Acres

The Ken Lockwood Gorge has 50 more acres of adjacent public space between Hoffman's Crossing Road and the South Branch Raritan River, thanks to New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which made the purchase from former Four Seasons Outdoor Center, made possible through a partnership with the state's Green Acres program, Hunterdon County, Raritan Headwaters Association, Hunterdon Land Trust, New Jersey Water Supply Authority and the Leavens Foundation.

 

NJ Environment News (http://njenvironmentnews.com/2015/05/05/50-acres-preserved-next-to-ken-lockwood-gorge/) reports that parking and public access will be improved and that the land serves as a healthy stream buffer.

 

Andy shared news of another 800 trout just stocked in the Gorge, prodding me to go try for some action, since the AT&T stretch of the North Branch running through town is letting me down. I visited the Gorge once in the fall, once in winter...this amazing winter we just had and I'll never forget...just to walk, maneuver among rocks and ice, crouch and shoot photos, really needing to spend much more time than minutes I had on lunch breaks. Next time I show up, I'll have my tripod, too. And I really need my wading shoes or waders to get good shots here. 

 

So much emphasis needs to be placed on the river as a source of drinking water, since this is a universal social need. Another emphasis is on scenic value, and certainly the Gorge has this abundantly. But more senses can be involved than sight. We're too much of a society of spectators, taking superficial views standing upright and failing to get through the thin veneer, the veil of illuminated vistas between a place and where we're coming from. After all, the Pearly Gates are scenic, but only the gateway through. From what I hear, some are turned away, but that's up to them according to the priests. 

 

As a photographer, you might think I'm all about scenes. I'm more about getting down. Most of my best shots aren't taken standing upright. And I get my feet wet. Best of all, I put aside my camera--if I have time--and just muck around a place, letting my senses get loose, absorbing whatever draws them close like a sponge. Once and awhile a photo suggests itself that couldn't have become apparent had I not forgotten the camera, ah! But there it is over on that rock or hanging from neck.

 

Look for little things. Better yet, yet little things beckon to you without looking so hard, feel them out. After all, every scene is really composed of lots and lots of details.