>> Eric: HOW ABOUT A BREAK FOR SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL?

TRAVIS NOVITSKY IS A NATURE AND NIGHT SKY PHOTOGRAPHER.

HE AND HIS WORK HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN DOCUMENTARIES, EXHIBITIONS, AND THE BOOK "SPIRITS DANCING," WHICH IS ALL ABOUT INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OF THE NIGHT SKY.

HE IS ONE OF THE NEWLY ANNOUNCED RECIPIENTS OF THE MAADA'OOKIING GRANT FROM THE NORTHLAND FOUNDATION AND HE JOINS US NOW FROM HIS HOME IN GRAND PORTAGE.

WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WITH THE GRANT?

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON THE SHOW, I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO BE HERE IN PERSON BUT IT'S A BIT OF A LONG DRIVE.

>> Eric: HAPPY TO HAVE YOU.

WHAT DOES THIS ALLOW YOU TO DO NOW WITH THE GRANT?

>> YEAH, SO MY GRANT APPLICATION WAS FOR THE PURCHASE OF A CAMERA AND LENS THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO CONTINUE UPON, OR CONTINUE TO EXPAND UPON DARK SKY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH EFFORTS THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.

AND SO THIS PARTICULAR NEW CAMERA AND LENS, T WILL ALLOW ME TO CAPTURE REAL-TIME, TRUE LIFE VIDEO OF THE AURORA BOREALIS, NORTHERN LIGHTS AND OTHER WONDERS OF THE NIGHT SKY.

UP UNTIL THIS POINT I HAVE NOT HAD A CAMERA THAT COULD DO THAT.

CONTENT CAPTURED USING IT WILL BE USED IN PRESENTATIONS BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON AND WILL BE USED TO ASSIST IN DARK SKY DESIGNATION EFFORTS IN THE AREA AROUND GRAND PORTAGE WITH THE GOAL OF PRESERVING OUR VIEWS OF THE NIGHT SKY AND KIND OF REINFORCING CULTURAL CONNECTIONS O THE SKY.

HOPEFULLY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

>> Cathy: SAY, TRAVIS, ON AIR RIGHT NOW WE'RE ROLLING SOME OF YOUR AMAZING IMAGES, AND THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY STUNNING.

AND I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, NIGHT SKY PHOTOGRAPHY IS SUCH AN ART.

WHAT'S THE SECRET?

WHAT'S, HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET THOSE AMAZING IMAGES?

>> I THINK A BIG PART OF THAT IS OF COURSE LIVING IN A PLACE WHERE I HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY DARK SKIES OR GOOD QUALITY DARK SKIES, WHERE YOU CAN GO OUT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT OUT IN YOUR YARD AND SEE THE MILKY WAY, SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, TRAVEL HALFWAY ACROSS THE STATE TO SEE IT.

SO THAT'S A KEY PART.

BUT ALSO JUST, YOU KNOW, KNOWING HOW TO USE THE CAMERA AT NIGHT, KNOWING WHAT EXPOSURE SETTINGS, WHICH HAS COME OVER THE COURSE OF MY CAREER AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.

YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST STARTED DOING THIS, I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO CAPTURE A GOOD IMAGE OF THE NIGHT SKY.

IT CAME WITH TIME AND WITH PRACTICE.

>> Cathy: AND OF COURSE YOU MENTIONED THAT THE GRAND PORTAGE AREA IS A GREAT PLACE TO SHOOT BECAUSE YOU'RE BE SURROUNDED BY INKY BLACKNESS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU'RE IN SUCH A RURAL PART OF MINNESOTA.

DO YOU WORRY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LIGHT POLLUTION AT SOME POINT?

OR ARE THERE EFFORTS TO TRY TO KEEP THE DARK SKIES AS DARK AS IT IS UP THERE?

>> I DO WORRY ABOUT IT AND I DO SEE IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE I GO.

EVEN IF THERE AREN'T RESIDENTIAL LIGHTS NEARBY, FOR EXAMPLE, DURING THE LAST NEW MOON, I TOOK A 15-SECOND EXPOSURE OF THE MILKY WAY AND IN THAT 15 SECONDS, THERE WERE 22 SATELLITES THAT STREAKED THROUGH THE SKY.

>> Eric: WOW.

>> SO THERE'S LIGHT POLLUTION UP THERE AS WELL, YOU KNOW, THE SUNLIGHT REFLECTS OFF THOSE SATELLITES AND WE SEE THEM STREAKING THROUGH OUR SKY AND IT'S NOT A NATURAL THING TO HAVE THOSE UP THERE.

>> Eric: WHAT DOES THE NIGHT SKY MEAN AS FAR AS IT'S PART OF THE NATIVE TRADITIONS?

>> WELL, ACROSS THE GLOBE MANY INDIGENOUS CULTURES, WELL, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM HAVE THEIR WN WAY OF CONNECTING TO THE NIGHT SKY AND THEIR OWN STORIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSTELLATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, USUALLY HAVE MORALS AND LESSONS OFTEN THAT ARE EMBEDDED IN THE STORIES.

>> Cathy: WOW.

YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M SO GLAD YOU GOT THIS GRANT.

TRAVIS, I'M WONDERING TOO, YOU WERE PART OF THAT PBS NORTH DOCUMENTARY.

WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP?

IS WHAT'S THE NEXT BIG PROJECT?

>> WELL, JUST TO KIND OF CONTINUE ON WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING, WHICH IS SO ACTUALLY IT WAS I THINK NOVEMBER OF 2022 WHEN WE LAST TALKED ON THE RADIO, AND THE DOCUMENTARY WAS JUST COMING OUT.

SO IN THAT TIME THE RESPONSE TO IT HAS BEEN REALLY INCREDIBLE.

I'VE BEEN TRAVELING ALL OVER GIVING PRESENTATIONS RELATED TO THE DOCUMENTARY AND TO THE "SPIRITS DANCING" BOOK THAT YOU MENTIONED.

AND EVERYWHERE I GO I'M JUST REALLY SURPRISED ND KIND OF OVERWHELMED BY HOW MUCH INTEREST THERE IS IN IT AND HOW MUCH CONNECTION PEOPLE HAVE TO IT EVEN WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THE MILKY WAY.

>> Cathy: WOW.

>> PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF IT AND HAVE THIS MAYBE NOT AS MUCH APPRECIATION YET BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T SEEN IT BUT THEY HAVE A DESIRE TO WANT TO CONNECT TO IT.

AND SO THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT I DO IS TRYING TO CONNECT PEOPLE.

SO I DO HAVE A COUPLE THINGS ON THE BURNER RIGHT NOW FOR PROJECTS.

BUT MAINLY IT'S JUST THIS GENERAL SENSE OF TRYING TO KEEP CONNECTING PEOPLE TO IT.

>> Cathy: OH, TRAVIS.

>> Eric: TO BE CONTINUED, TRAVIS.