Can you spot the difference?
Ever had that feeling of complete and utter disappointment?
In 2015 Jason Futrill (left image: ©tassiegrammer) took this absolutely stunning image of Secret Falls. The lush green cavern, the moss of the rocks and the water cascading down through the layered assortment of rocks.
FAST FORWARD
In 2018 I took this image.
CAN YOU SPOT THE DIFFERENCE?
I took Jason’s image as a reference to the falls, eager to see the before and after. He had told me in an interview the change that had occurred to the ferns and moss.
I walked around the falls for 20-30 minutes trying to figure out.. where did he take this image from. The key references weren’t there anymore.
What lens did he use?
What am I missing?
I wasn’t missing anything… I was standing on top of it, or I suspect I was.
Whilst it was clear to see the moss has almost all disappeared, the ferns are noticeably thinner. But the most impact was how geographically the landscape had changed so dramatically! The natural watercourse had changed! Tree ferns now lay in the wake of an apparent slippage in the landscape that could only be caused by the paths now taken. and the floor of the waterfall has risen a good foot (30cm).
“Such a significant change in the landscape”
Once I figured this out, I kind of just sat on the creek bank looking left and right, up and down. I had noticed some of the changes initially. But the significance? No….
Still even now, I find it quiet upsetting. How do we stop this happening, how can we reduce the impact?