Lenses on Bear Lake: USU photography students document nature, research

Through the lens of a camera, the complexities of the Bear Lake ecosystem come alive with its bright blue waters, fertile fields and delicate balance between nature and human impact. In a collaboration with the USU Institute for Land, Water, and Air, assistant photography professor at USU Jared Ragland and a group of eight photography students set out to document the intersection of ecology and human activity, creating a visual narrative highlighting the key issues and research happening within Bear Lake.

Ragland and his students have been working for roughly one year to photograph, research and assemble the Bear Lake Needs Assessment Documentation and Visualization Project. The photographs were exhibited in the Tippetts & Eccles Galleries from Nov. 4-Dec. 13.

“The Bear Lake project blends scientific research and visual documentary storytelling to look at critical issues surrounding Bear Lake,” Ragland said.

The project was funded by the ILWA Bear Lake Research Grant.

According to the ILWA website, this research is vital in determining how to properly manage the variety of resources Bear Lake provides, from recreation to water usage.

Ragland and his photography students worked alongside nine other research teams who had also been awarded the grant in order to tell the story of their research through documentary photography.

“The use of documentary photography, since its inception as a medium of photography, has been used to record what happens in the world — to say something about it and to invoke positive change,” Ragland said.

Ragland and his team focused on documenting a handful of the research teams and their studies of Bear Lake, including the research into fishery and watershed health, recreation, nanoparticle and plastic contamination, invasive species and land development.

“Bear Lake is many things to many people,” Ragland said. “One of the biggest challenges was being comprehensive while also being specific enough so that we get to the heart of the issues and tell a compelling story.”

As documentarians, the team prioritized telling a sincere and authentic story that captured the complexities of Bear Lake to the fullest extent possible.

“Our goal was to document those many different perspectives and experiences and share what we found across the board,” Ragland said.

After the exhibition closes, the photographs from the project will be used for the ILWA’s annual Report to the Governor and Legislature on Utah’s Land, Water, and Air.

“It’s really wonderful to have our work included in that so it can help inform the governor and state legislatures when they go to make decisions on our behalf about how our land, water and air are used and managed,” Ragland said.

ILWA will also archive a digital collection of the photographs to create a record of lasting research.

“Bear Lake has long been a place of change, particularly in the modern moment,” Ragland said. “Having a documentary record to show what it looks like now is important for the future.”

Each student brought a unique perspective to the project, exploring a wide variety of issues like water contamination, recreational impacts and cultural preservation.

Lele Bonizzi is a photography student who worked on the project. A majority of their photography focused on issues surrounding construction, tourism and the non-profit preservation organization, Bear Lake Watch.

“I’ve been focusing on construction zones right now because many of the construction zones that have been built in Bear Lake are for multi-million dollar homes,” Bonizzi said. “Because of this, residents can’t really afford to buy houses because the housing prices are exacerbated.”

Bonizzi also photographed construction workers, many of them immigrants, in order to document a social aspect of the Bear Lake community.

“I would meet with normal residents that would tell me their points of view on the issues, as well as realtors, people from Bear Lake Watch and farmers to get a good, three-dimensional understanding of what is going on,” Bonizzi said.

The photography students conducted research and interviews to understand the issues most important to Bear Lake residents.

“It’s very easy to get into this kind of research and immediately pick a side which you think is the absolute moral right,” Bonizzi said. “But really, when you start talking to everyone, you understand that it is a complex issue and it is not black and white.”

Many residents of Bear Lake have widely differing opinions, wants and needs in regards to how to best address the issues happening within their community.

According to Bonizzi, while the people from the Bear Lake Watch may want to preserve the lake, workers and farmers still need to make a living off of the lake’s resources. While expensive construction zones are making houses harder to afford, realtors still need to sell houses and give in to the demand for more housing.

“For example, you can’t not talk about tourism if you talk about the water quality, and you can’t not talk about the farmers or locals if you talk about construction zones,” Bonizzi said. “It was a matter of deciding what was essential, what wasn’t and using the resources we had to try our best.”

With the many contrasting perspectives, the documentary photography team had to work diligently with the Bear Lake community in order to determine which key themes were vital to include in the project.

“The help of people that actually live there was extremely helpful but also enriching,” Bonizzi said. “I hope for every photographer, when they do documentary work, to bring a sort of understanding or awareness of interest in people that wouldn’t normally be exposed to an issue or be aware of an issue.”

As Bear Lake continues to evolve, this documentary project serves as a vital record of its present condition and a catalyst for future conversations about preservation, progress and the balance between the two.

This article was written using contributions from student photographers Lele Bonizzi, Eli Clare, Anastasia Coleman, Kennedy Fry, Annora Madden and Kennedy McLeod. Alumni contributors include Olivia Ethington and Kenzli Pendleton.