Worldwide League of Conservation Photographers

On November 14–15, conservation photographers, filmmakers, and advocates from world wide got here collectively in Washington, D.C. for WildSpeak D.C. 2025 — iLCP’s signature annual gathering, held this yr in honor of the group’s twentieth anniversary.

Hosted at First Congregational UCC in downtown D.C., the two-day occasion highlighted the depth and variety of conservation storytelling throughout the iLCP group. Through displays, panels, and dialogue, WildSpeak showcased how visible narratives proceed to form public understanding, affect coverage, and help actual change for folks and the planet.

A Global Community United in Purpose

WildSpeak has lengthy been an area the place communication and conservation intersect, and this yr’s gathering mirrored that spirit extra strongly than ever. Attendees included iLCP Fellows, Emerging Leaguers, college students, scientists, and conservation professionals — all united by a shared perception within the energy of images to encourage motion.

iLCP Executive Director Susan Norton opened each days, emphasizing the sense of group that has pushed the group since its founding.

“What makes WildSpeak special is the sense of community in the room — people from all backgrounds coming together because they believe stories can inspire change. Marking iLCP’s 20th anniversary with this group felt like a powerful reminder of how much we can achieve when we collaborate,” she mentioned.

Board Chair Morgan Heim emceed the occasion, guiding audiences by way of tales that spanned icy coastlines, river programs, prairies, rainforests, and communities preventing to guard the locations they name house.

Day One: Freshwater Stories and Community Connection

The first day centered on a theme that threads by way of lots of at this time’s environmental challenges: freshwater.

Morning displays included:

Dave Showalter – The Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado

Alison Jones – The Value of Water

Dan Mele – Through the Gut: A Ridge to Reef Story

Anton Sorokin – California’s Threatened Freshwater Biodiversity

Amy Gulick – The Salmon Way

Justin Grubb – Hellbent: A Small Town Saves a Big Salamander

The afternoon continued with tales exploring related ecosystems and the communities who work to guard them:

Kristi Odom & Devon Matthews – The Web That Binds Us: Conservation and Community within the Grasslands

Krista Schlyer – Anacostia: Memory and the American River

The day concluded with a presentation from the iLCP D.C. Student Workshop, spotlighting rising storytellers and the worth of mentorship inside the conservation group.

Day Two: Ethics, Innovation, and New Ways of Seeing

Saturday opened with reflections on ethics and the evolving observe of conservation images:

Scott Trageser – The Ethics of Conservation Photography

Thomas Rowell – Alternative Process Work: Portrait Series of Argentinian Conservationists

Sergio Izquierdo – The Storytelling Strategy to Save the Jungle

Lauren Owens Lambert – Entangled: North American Right Whales

A panel dialogue that includes Jill Schwartz (The Nature Conservancy) and Morgan Heim (iLCP) examined the Farm Bill and the Mission Possible storytelling collection, illustrating how coverage shapes conservation outcomes throughout the U.S.

The afternoon program supplied a compelling take a look at scientific exploration, large-scale ecological change, and the smaller ecosystems typically missed:

Chris Linder – Science on Ice

Caitlin Bailey – Exploring the Deep

Ethan Freese – Time within the Tallgrass

Sarah Killingsworth – Point Reyes Water Quality / Films

Steven D. Johnson – Virginia Aquatic: Documenting Life in Vernal Pools and Riverside Environments

A Milestone Year for iLCP

WildSpeak D.C. 2025 served not solely as a showcase of excellent visible storytelling however as a celebration of what iLCP has achieved over twenty years. Since its founding, the group has championed moral storytelling, elevated underreported conservation points, and constructed a worldwide group dedicated to defending the pure world.

As iLCP appears towards its subsequent 20 years, WildSpeak reaffirmed the group’s perception in collaboration — and within the transformative energy of tales to form a greater future.

To be notified for iLCP’s 2026 WildSpeak event, sign up for email updates here.

Check out iLCP’s 20th Anniversary print sale, Prints for the Planet, here. 100% of proceeds in the direction of telling the subsequent 20 years of conservation tales.