The Villages - January 2020 - 26

{ FOR THE

Love

O F N AT I O N A L PA R K S }

Conservation of the national parks is an ideal Ruggles
holds near and dear to his heart. It is an ideal which clearly
shows in his photography - a respect for these natural
resources that cannot be found anywhere else on planet
Earth.
His job as the EMINENT photographer for the National
Park Service - what the National Park Service calls its
staff photographers with a large body of work - took him
all around the country to photograph various parks and
landmarks, but ask him if he has a favorite park and his
response will always be the same: the next one.
Though he says he planned to save the Everglades for
when he retired, the opportunity to photograph the area
- including many spots he speculated may not have ever
had human eyes upon them - was too great to pass up.
"I'm a collector," Ruggles said. "Some people collect
coins, some people collect stamps - I collect experiences.
For me, (visiting remote places in the Everglades) was one
of my greatest gets, my greatest finds. I love the whole
concept of discovery. Even if sometimes I'm not the first
person to discover it, but a place I find on my own where no
one told me to go there, I didn't follow a sign and stumble
upon something beautiful - that is what gets me out of
bed in the morning."
26

JANUARY 2020

Ruggles signing a copy of his book, "Chasing Light," at the
grand opening of Everglades Recreation Center.
Though it took months of work taking and printing
photos, Ruggles says seeing them all on display at
Everglades Recreation Center made it all worthwhile,
especially seeing just how passionate Tracy Morse, Gary
Mark and others from The Villages were in regard to the
national parks.
"The first time I walked into (the recreation center), I
was filled with an overwhelming sense of hope that the
parks might actually make it," Ruggles said. "Sometimes
I feel like I'm a lone ranger out there. To see someone else
put some dedication and time (into highlighting the parks)
made me feel like I have teammates in this."



The Villages - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - January 2020

Contents
The Villages - January 2020 - Cover1
The Villages - January 2020 - Cover2
The Villages - January 2020 - Cover2A
The Villages - January 2020 - Cover2B
The Villages - January 2020 - Cover2C
The Villages - January 2020 - Cover2D
The Villages - January 2020 - Contents
The Villages - January 2020 - 2
The Villages - January 2020 - 3
The Villages - January 2020 - 4
The Villages - January 2020 - 5
The Villages - January 2020 - 6
The Villages - January 2020 - 7
The Villages - January 2020 - 8
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