Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei): this small mouse is easily identified by a thick, dark stripe that runs from head to tail, large hind legs and feet, and a very long tail.  [listed as Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis): the Canada Lynx are known for their long black ear tufts and thick tufts of hair on the soles of their feet. [listed as Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

Greenback Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki stomias): This cold water trout is Colorado’s state fish. They have dark spots on their sides and tail and two red stripes on each side of their throat. [listed as Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

Black Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes): while this ferret is easy to recognize with a black mask, black feet and a black ring around its tail, it is harder to find because it blends into the prairie so well. [listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

Whooping Crane (Grus Americana): the Whooping Crane is the largest North American bird. They are white with black primary feathers and have red faces and dark bills. [listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

Joel Sartore (iLCP member and our photographer of the month) has an amazing new book available that profiles endangered species. Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species

On his website, Joel mentions ways that we can help endangered species. Read the complete version here!

Joel Sartore, iLCP fellow, is our photographer of the month. Check out his bio on the iLCP’s blog!

Joel’s latest book, Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species, features endangered species from around the country. Click here to see a short video about it!

Igor Shpilenok, iLCP fellow and our photographer of the month, photographed this wolverine at Kronotsky Zapovednik Nature Reserve in Kamchatka.

Igor Shpilenok, iLCP member and our photographer of the month, took this photo of a brown bear at the South Kamchatka Wildlife Sanctuary.

Igor Shpilenok, iLCP member and our photographer of the month, travels across Russia documenting its wilderness.

He founded the Bryansky Les Nature Reserve in 1987 in order to protect the nesting habitat of the rare black stork. Igor managed the reserve for 11 years and then began focusing his photography on Russia’s reserve system.

Igor contributes regularly to Russian Life, Ranger Rink, National Wildlife, National Geographic-Russia, as well as other magazines.

Robert Glenn Ketchum, iLCP member and our photographer of the month, took this photo of an undisturbed salmon habitat in Southwest Alaska (Bristol Bay). Read about Robert’s conservation work in Southwest Alaska.

Robert Glenn Ketchum, iLCP member and our photographer of the month, took this photo at Wood-Tikchik State Park in Southwest Alaska. Read about Robert’s conservation work in Southwest Alaska.

Robert Glenn Ketchum, a founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), is a distinguished photographer. Robert received his B.A. from UCLA, his M.F.A. from California Institute of the Arts, and an honorary M.S. from Brooks Institute of Photography.

A few recognitions Robert has received include being named one of the 100 people “who shaped the environmental movement of the 20th Century” by Audubon magazine, one of the 100 most important people in contemporary photography in the 1990’s by American Photo magazine, and 5th in the American Masters series in 2010 by American Photo magazine (read the article).

Robert is known as both an artist and an activist – he uses imagery to promote conservation. Read about his conservation projects in Southwest Alaska.

Daniel Beltrá, iLCP member, is a world-class photographer. He was born in Spain and is fluent in English, French and Spanish. From his various trips to the Amazon, Daniel is also able to converse in Portuguese.

Daniel has been photographing the changing Amazon rainforest since 2001. He has documented the worst drought, largest flood and the burning of thousands of acres of rainforest. Daniel received awards for his photos on the drought in both 2006 and 2007 at the World Press Photo and the China International Press Photo Contest.

In 2008 Daniel was awarded the Global Vision Award from the Pictures of the Year International Competition. In 2009, he won the Prince’s Rainforests Project Award. He is currently living in Seattle, Washington.

Paul Nicklen (iLCP fellow) grew up on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada in a small Inuit community. He developed an interest in nature at a young age while spending most of his time outdoors.

Nicklen began his career as a wildlife biologist for the Department of Renewable Resources and is now a nature photojournalist, publishing stories for magazines such as National Geographic. He specializes in photographing the wild inhabitants of the Arctic and Antarctica. Nicklen’s book, Polar Obsession, was released in November 2009 and has amazing stories and photographs from the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Check out this video of Paul and a leopard seal!

This photo was taken by iLCP member and our photographer of the month, Brian Skerry. This whitecoat harp seal was photographed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. Newborn seal pups are referred to as “yellowcoats” because of the yellow tint on their fur from amniotic fluid. After a few days the yellow tint goes away and they become “whitecoats”, a stage that last for about two weeks.

Our photo of the week was taken by Brian Skerry, iLCP member and our photographer of the month. Skerry photographed this short-tailed stingray swimming through an underwater canyon in the Poor Knights Islands (New Zealand). Large numbers of short-tailed stingrays are common around these islands during the summer.

This past month has flown by! Since we have been so busy with WILD9 and have not had a chance to celebrate Brian Skerry as November’s photographer of the month, we are extending him to be our POTM for December. Skerry’s fantastic “Window into the Oceans” presentation will be available to view online soon. Click here to see the outcomes of WILD9.

Our photo of the week was taken at the Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve, which is located east of New Zealand’s North Island. Skerry photographed this Red Pigfish and schools of Blue Mao Mao inside a cavern. The marine reserve was established in 1981 and has allowed for the marine ecosystem to flourish.

Brian Skerry, our photographer of month and iLCP member, is an award winning photojournalist. He specializes in underwater photography and keys into threats that underwater environments face.

Skerry has been a photographer for National Geographic since 1998. A few other magazines that he has contributed to include National Wildlife, Sports Illustrated, People, BBC Wildlife and Outdoor Life.

Skerry will be one of the many premier photographers presenting during the WILD9 plenary presentation and also participating in the many events planned by the iLCP for WILD9 (WiLDSpeak). WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress, will convene from 6-13 November, Merida Mexico.

Our last photo for October, taken by Michael “Nick” Nichols (iLCP member and our photographer of the month) is of elephants at Kruger National Park in South Africa.

These elephants are at the Tinga waterhole. Acacia trees line the bank of the waterhole, creating an amazing effect under the full moon.

Nichols will be one of the many premier photographers presenting during the WILD9 plenary presentation and also participating in the many events planned by the iLCP for WILD9 (WiLDSpeak). WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress, will convene from 6-13 November, Merida Mexico.

Michael “Nick” Nichols, iLCP member and our photographer of the month, photographed these elephants at Kruger National Park in South Africa.

These elephants are at an important waterhole located near the Tinga Camp towards the end of the dry season.

Nichols will be one of the many premier photographers presenting during the WILD9 plenary presentation and also participating in the many events planned by the iLCP for WILD9 (WiLDSpeak). WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress, will convene from 6-13 November, Merida Mexico.

This photo was taken by Michael “Nick” Nichols, member of the iLCP and our photographer of the month. These elephants were photographed at the Samburu National Reserve, located in Kenya.

Nichols will be one of the many premier photographers presenting during the WILD9 plenary presentation and also participating in the many events planned by the iLCP for WILD9 (WiLDSpeak). WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress, will convene from 6-13 November, Merida Mexico.

Michael “Nick” Nichols is an award winning photographer. He is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a former member of the cooperative “Magnum Photos”, and a current staff photographer at National Geographic. He joined the National Geographic team in 1996 and has photographed over 20 stories for National Geographic Magazine.

An Alabama native, Nichols studied photography at the University of North Alabama. He has been featured in many magazines including Life and Rolling Stone.

Nichols is the author of seven books, including Brutal Kinship with Jane Goodall published by Aperture. Dr. Goodall will be delivering a keynote address at WILD9, as well as leading a workshop.

Nichols will be one of the many premier photographers presenting during the WILD9 plenary presentation and also participating in the many events planned by the iLCP for WILD9 (WiLDSpeak). WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress, will convene from 6-13 November, Merida Mexico.

This month’s last photo of the week was taken by James Balog, our photographer of the month and member of the iLCP.

The photo is of a rapidly retreating glacier, Glacier de Bionnassay, located on the western side of Mont Blanc.

Balog will be one of the many premier photographers presenting during the WILD9 plenary presentation and also participating in the many events planned by the iLCP for WILD9 (WiLDSpeak). WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress, will convene from 6-13 November, Merida Mexico.