I Am The Great and Powerful Oz (sort of)
Tawanda Scott-Sambou wanted to see lots of ravens. She is a CNN producer working on a story about Hardshell and after seeing the Guardian Angel Rover in action with captive tortoises she asked to see the dark side of the tortoise conservation equation, to understand what all the fuss is about. So I took her… Continue reading »
Her
She was one of those tortoises completely at ease with my presence, a wild animal unintimidated by the presence of a nearly hairless ape. So I laid down on sun-warmed rocks and sand and simply watched her watch her world. Her eye flicked here and there as she took in the day. I enjoyed her… Continue reading »
History of the Rover- Chapter 1
In the fall of 2013 I returned to my hometown, Haines, Alaska with the idea to turn conservation into a series of games. I had an idea for a tortoise observation device, a vehicle to accompany tortoises as they made their way through their world. I had vague notions of Mars rovers. This was at the dawn… Continue reading »
My First Sting Operation
Hardshell is running a sting. We’re combining 3D printing, cutting edge mechanical engineering and knowledge of raven behavior to create a device, the Techno-tortoise, that will allow us to observe raven predation close up and, thereafter, to deliver stark lessons to them about the inadvisability of eating baby tortoises. This is aversion training, an effort… Continue reading »
Hardshell: Where the idea came from
As a visual artist I am used to having pre-formed images pop fully formed into my head. It is a weird and magical experience to have one drop into view like the next slide in a cosmic powerpoint. I love these moments. Even so, I was unprepared for the power of the instant that lies… Continue reading »
Hope for the Future
Some of the most amazing experiences of my career had occurred on the Control Plot, where I was part of a crew doing focal observations. We would follow an individual tortoise over the course of days, recording their every behavior. It showed me the true individuality of tortoises and gave me a window into the… Continue reading »
How to Help Ravens: Nest Sites
To a bird so obvious in its comings and goings, and so careful in its choices, the thousands and thousands of high-tension power line towers that slice across the desert are a huge boon. 50 to 100 feet off the ground the birds have no fear of terrestrial predators such as coyotes or badgers. The… Continue reading »
Handsome Jojo’s TV Cameo on Discovery Channel Canada
Jojo is a remarkable, handsome tortoise at California’s Lewis Center for Educational Research. Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet hired Jojo to record his tortoise-eyed view for a segment to be aired tomorrow, April 19, 2015, on Daily Planet about Hardshell’s ground-breaking collaboration with Lewis Center. Jojo has a dry sense of humor, and told reporters he loves… Continue reading »
Hardshell Scheduled to Air on Discovery Channel Canada
This morning we heard that Daily Planet, a Discovery Channel Canada program, will next week air its little, recently-filmed segment with Tim and a couple of other Hardshell faithful. This is a heads-up so you might be able to see it on-line, and if you’re Canuk, you can see it on the tele, eh? “They’re… Continue reading »