Saint Helena Island — Gallery
Scenes from the island of Saint Helena — a speck in the South Atlantic Ocean with 4,000 inhabitants but most well known for Napoleon and Jonathan the tortoise.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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On the Island of Saint Helena
The world’s most well-known living tortoise, Jonathan, is also one of the world’s most remote — living on a volcanic island a thousand miles off the coast of Africa.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Tortoise, Tortoise Conservation
A Visit to the Turtle Conservancy
The Turtle Conservancy is one of those places that just seems beyond anything that should reasonably be expected to exist.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Coachella Valley, Gopherus agassizii, Mojave Desert
The Tortoises of Coachella Valley
A tortoise count is happening in the Coachella Valley— and I’m tagging along.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Coachella Valley, Flora, Mojave Desert
Desert Springtime – Gallery
The spring of 2022 was a dry one, and in the middle of an extended drought. But life still prevails. Seeds must be produced. These little flowers gave it everything they had to complete their lifecycle before another summer set in.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Eagle-eye View of a Solar Farm
Desert Sunlight Solar Project was one of the first significant installations in the Mojave. I decided to get a fresh perspective on it, from the air.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Gopherus agassizii, Mojave Desert
Desert Tortoise U.
There’s an entire industry set up to manage tortoise populations. At the center of the action is the Desert Tortoise Council, a brain trust of biologists, ecologists, and conservationists who have been training people for 30 years to help protect these tortoises.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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How it Started
“When did you realize you that this was something that you were meant to write?” a friend asked. “Was there one thing that flipped the switch for you?”
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Aldabra, Island Untouchable
Aldabra atoll is many things: It’s the second largest atoll in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home to many endemic plants and animals including more than 100,000 giant tortoises. Two biologists share their experiences.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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Melville in the Galapagos
“What other bodily being possesses such a citadel wherein to resist the assaults of Time?” That’s Herman Melville talking about tortoises. In 10 vignettes he paints a portrait of the Galapagos Islands, and the tortoise is a recurring character.
Written by: Kevin Gepford
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