In the Burke Museum’s all new environmental photography traveling exhibit, Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story, acclaimed nature photographer Keith Lazelle uses his keen artistic eye to capture the dramatic beauty of the Hoh River, one of only a few virtually intact and pristine rivers in the contiguous United States. High from its source in the Olympic mountain range, the Hoh River flows naturally, as it has for thousands of years, over 50 miles into its estuary at the Pacific Ocean. The Hoh River valley supports an inspiring array of wildlife such as Bald Eagle, Northern Spotted Owl, Marbled Murrelet, Roosevelt Elk, Bull Trout, and Salmon, and is also home to one of Earth’s last intact temperate rainforests — the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park — where annual rainfall can exceed 200 inches.

Organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the Hoh River Trust, Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story presents 14 large-format color photographs of the Hoh River ecosystem. Visitors to the traveling exhibit will follow the story of the Hoh River, from its rich history and cultural significance, to the ongoing tale of efforts among environmentalists, local communities, tribes, and government to protect and preserve the river.

Accompanying the lush visuals, the nature sounds of Emmy-award winning sound recordist Gordon Hempton will immerse visitors in the experience of one of the last great American rivers. Lazelle’s work will also be available in a new companion book, Fast Moving Water: Images and Essays from the Hoh River, published by the Hoh River Trust.

Visit the Burke Museum web site at www.burkemuseum.org/booknow to see the exhibit's travel itinerary. Or contact Mark R. Hand at mrhand@u.washington.edu for more details.

Posted: 2/19/09

Various times and locations across Washington State.