Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) is a 140,000-acre mosaic of salt marshes, pine flat-woods, coastal hammocks, and open water, threaded by the bio-diverse waters of the Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon. For countless species of wildlife, it is a place of refuge; for me, it has become a place of familiarity, memory, and quiet observation.
This photographic project is, at its simplest, a look at a place I have grown up next to and spent countless hours roaming around in. I have returned to these landscapes again and again, often without a particular destination or intention beyond being there. Revisiting the same roads, trails, waterways, and clearings creates an opportunity to notice gradual changes. I am interested in the quieter moments—the shifts in light and weather, and the small details that can easily be overlooked when moving through the landscape. These photographs are personal observations of a landscape that has become deeply embedded in my sense of place.
