Multiple injuries reported in Texas boardwalk collapse
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More than a dozen teenagers from a church camp posing for a group photo were injured after a portion of a deck walkway collapsed at a seaside park in Texas, officials said.
The students were visiting Stahlman Park in Surfside Beach, Brazoria County, on Thursday with the Bayou City Fellowship when the incident occurred, the church said. Nearly 80 students from several campuses were on the trip, the church said.
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Students from the Bayou City Fellowship’s Cypress campus were taking a group photo when a portion of the deck collapsed around 12:30 p.m. local time, according to the church.
Footage from the scene showed a section of a wooden walkway ramp that had partially detached, falling on the grass below.
Nineteen students between the ages of 14 and 18 suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident, according to Brazoria County officials. Five were transported to a Houston-area Memorial Hermann hospital via a helicopter, five were taken by ambulance to local hospitals, and nine were taken to hospitals by private vehicles, the county said.
Multiple police, EMS and fire departments responded to the scene.
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“While this is a traumatic event, we are blessed to report that none of the injuries are life-threatening,” Bayou City Fellowship said in a statement. “We are thankful for the outpour of concern from our community and ask that the city and surrounding areas keep all that are affected physically and emotionally in prayer.”
The church said it is not releasing the names of the victims or the nature of their injuries due to privacy concerns.
The incident remains under investigation, the county said.
Stahlman Park is located on the Gulf of Mexico, about 66 miles south of Houston.
Photo Illustration by Lecia Landis for Verywell Health; Getty Images
Fact checked by Nick Blackmer
Key Takeaways
Users on social media are touting a drugstore supplement called berberine as “nature’s Ozempic.”
Berberine may be able to help manage blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Berberine has a different mechanism of action than prescription drugs like Ozempic, and is not proven to support weight loss.
People who are considering berberine should consult with their healthcare provider before trying it.
An over-the-counter dietary supplement called berberine is being labeled as a “natural” dupe for Ozempic, a prescription medication used to stabilize blood sugar and may help patients with type 2 diabetes lose weight.
Users all over social media are claiming that the supplement can help lower blood glucose, improve insulin sensitivity, and go as far as helping people shed a few pounds. The search term “berberine supplement” has well over 300 million views and counting on TikTok, and #berberine has about 67 million views.
But as with all social media health hacks and trends, there’s the question of whether or not any of these claims can be backed by science. Here’s what experts have to say about berberine, and whether or not it could be a decent option for patients who can’t get their hands on popular injectable medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro.
Related: What's the Difference Between Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro?
What Is Berberine and What Is It Intended For?
Berberine is a natural compound called an alkaloid that’s extracted from a variety of plants, including goldenseal, European barberry, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric, Lisa Kroon, PharmD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy in the School of Pharmacy at the University of California in San Francisco, told Verywell.
People most who take berberine consume it as a supplement, which can come in many forms like capsules, tablets, liquid extracts, or powders, Kroon said. It has also been used in eye drops and gels.
While the drugstore supplement has recently increased in popularity due to social media, it’s been used for centuries, especially in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, Mir B Ali, MD, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast, told Verywell. In fact, providers may recommend berberine for people with diabetes to help lower their blood sugar and cholesterol.
“It has also been shown to have some antimicrobial effects so it can affect the normal intestinal bacteria,” Ali said.
Berberine is believed to have these effects is because it may target a protein involved in insulin resistance and blood sugar control, which positively impacts how our cells can utilize blood glucose, Megan Hilbert, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian specializing in gut health nutrition at Top Nutrition Coaching, told Verywell in an email. In turn, these alkaloids can “reduce the risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.”
According to the National Library of Medicine, berberine can also be used for burns, canker sores, liver disease, and many other conditions. But there is not enough well-studied scientific evidence to support many of these uses.
“It’s absolutely not nature’s Ozempic and does not work like Ozempic, which is a GLP-1 inhibitor,” Kroon said. “I think people are just grasping here and manufacturers of these supplements are just kind of creating a hype to try to be appealing for people looking for a magic potion to help them lose weight.”
How to Get Berberine
Berberine is available over-the-counter and can be purchased online or in stores, usually in a supplement capsule form, Hilbert said. Dosages for berberine range between 500 to 1,500 milligrams per day, but typically, it’s taken in doses of 500 milligrams, three times a day.
Depending on the online retailer or store, most berberine supplements can be purchased anywhere from $12 to 50 dollars, Hilbert added.
Comparatively, GLP-1 agonist drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro require prescriptions and can cost as much as $1,000 out of pocket.
Can Berberine Be Used For Weight Loss?
Although berberine can have similar health benefits to prescription medications when it comes to reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels, it’s not clear if the supplement is effective when it comes to weight loss, Ali said. Diabetes drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro can be prescribed off-label for weight loss, while Wegovy is indicated for weight loss.
“People are saying that [berberine] is equivalent, but there’s no real evidence to show that it’s equivalent to those medications,” Ali said. “It has shown to have some modest amount of effect on weight loss, but it’s not the same effect as the prescribed medications.”
The reason berberine does not have the same exact effect as Ozempic is because its mechanism of action is different, Kroon said. Ozempic, which is a GLP-1 inhibitor, helps the pancreas release the right amount of insulin when a patient’s blood sugar is high, which in turn reduces their blood glucose levels. Semaglutide medications like Ozempic slow down how quickly your stomach empties food, which can lead to decreased appetite and weight loss.
“Semaglutide also helps to reduce a hormone called glucagon after we eat and that helps reduce our blood sugar. So, [Ozempic] has many ways of how it works for diabetes, including effect on weight,” Kroon said. “Berberine doesn’t work anything like that; it is a completely different mechanism.”
Instead, berberine activates an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which can help regulate glucose metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and impact blood sugar levels.
Still, a bit of research on berberine’s effectiveness for weight loss and diabetes does exist. One meta-analysis of 27 studies found that the supplement may be just as effective as certain oral diabetes medications, such as metformin and glipizide, when it comes to blood glucose control. And a study from 2012 found seven people with obesity who took 500 milligrams of berberine three times per day for 12 weeks lost on average about 5 pounds of weight. More recently, a review of 12 studies from 2020 suggested that berberine supplements can potentially impact body weight, body mass index (BMI), and belly fat.
While there are some studies to suggest berberine supplements may have a positive impact on people’s health, more research is needed to draw meaningful conclusions about whether or not berberine is effective for weight loss.
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Do Experts Recommend Trying Berberine?
According to Ali, deciding whether or not to use berberine supplements for weight loss should be a decision you make with your healthcare provider. Although it’s not “nature’s Ozempic,” it can be a more accessible option for some patients, especially since it does not require a prescription.
“I don’t think berberine would be harmful for the majority of patients, but it’s still not clear how effective it is for weight loss,” Ali said. “I think it’s reasonable to try it as a supplement to healthy lifestyle and diet changes, but I don’t want people to think that it’s the equivalent of prescribed medications.”
Hilbert added that even though there aren’t a lot of studies showing berberine has harmful reactions or outcomes, some people who use the supplement may experience minor side effects, including diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating, and other gastrointestinal issues.
“Berberine does appear to be safe for adults to use in the short-term,” said Hilbert. “But long-term use has not been studied and some animal studies report some severe side effects with long-term berberine use like enlarged liver/kidneys, muscle tremors, and gastric ulcers.”
Before you decide to use berberine, it’s important to note that these supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and have not been studied on a large scale, Kroon noted.
“Medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy are FDA-regulated and well-studied for indications like diabetes or weight loss, whereas nutritional supplements like berberine are not FDA regulated,” she said. “I would really advise not to jump on the bandwagon here and think that berberine is going to work like a prescription medicine, because it’s not going to. You could be spending a good $50+ out of pocket.”
What This Means For You
Experts say people who use berberine may not see the same results as other prescription medications intended for weight loss. Before trying berberine, you should speak with your healthcare provider, especially if you have certain health conditions like diabetes or are taking other medications and supplements.
An AI-generated image of Tom Cruise and his doppelgangers has recently been shared with a false claim that it is a real photo of the Hollywood actor posing with his body doubles ahead of the release of his upcoming action film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
American director Christopher McQuarrie’s new film and the seventh part of the spy-thriller franchise Mission Impossible is all set to release in July this year. The film will witness Cruise tracking down a deadly weapon which poses a threat to the humanity. Cruise in the recently released trailer can be seen performing some death-defying stunts as a part of the challenging mission.
Amid this, filmmaker Lakshmi R Iyer tweeted the image showing Cruise with his body doubles with a caption saying, “Tom Cruise’s stunt doubles at the wrap party of Mission Impossible 7”.
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Fact Check
BOOM first noticed that the photo features three identical looking people and all of them have strikingly waxy skin tone. We also observed that the men featured in the image lack the natural wrinkles on their foreheads.
To draw a comparison, we compared the photo with a real image of Tom Cruise and found significant anomalies in the viral picture.
Taking a cue, we observed the details in the viral picture and identified three significant discrepancies present in the image.
First, we noticed the left hand of the person in the middle and found that there is no nail on his fingers. Second, the skin of the man standing in the right can be seen blending with the shirt he is wearing.
Third, the decor in the background which appears to be a chandelier is incomplete in nature.
We observed these details after zooming in the viral photo. A zoomed view of the compromised areas can be seen below.
Then, we did a related search using keywords such as “Tom Cruise Stunt Double” and found the same photo on a Facebook post carrying a set of AI-generated images.
The post was made on a Facebook group named Midjourney Official. An excerpt from the group’s description reads, “This is the official Facebook group for Midjourney, a cutting-edge text-to-image generative artificial intelligence program and service.”
We also noticed that the user who posted the image mentioned in Thai that the images were created using Midjourney, in one of the comments. The comments can be seen below.
Earth Photo, a programme that showcases images depicting the issues affecting the climate and life on our planet, has announced the shortlist for this year’s competition.
Photographers and filmmakers entered their work in Earth Photo 2023, the international competition and exhibition for images that tell compelling stories about the planet. A judging panel made up of experts from the fields of photography, film, geography and the environment selected the best of 1,400 entries, ending with 128 photos and videos.
The shortlisted images will be available to see in the Earth Photo exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London from June 17 to August 23 as well as five Forestry England sites across the country from June 23 to January 28, 2024.
The exhibition will also tour the Sidney Nolan Trust in Herefordshire, from July 13 to September 30, The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall from February 1, 2024 to March 1, 2024 and the Lishui International Photography Festival, China, in December 2023. All images will also be available to view on the Earth Photo website.
The winners will be announced at the Earth Photo 2023 Awards Ceremony on June 22 at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). If you would like to attend the ceremony please sign up at www.rgs.org/events/summer-2023/earth-photo-2023-awards-ceremony-and-panel/
Spirit and Soul of the Annapurna Region, Nepal: The hill farmers of the Modi Valley in Gandaki Province, live in harmony with nature in arduous terrain amid the threat of heavy monsoons and landslides. Their buffalos produce milk for hot buffalo milk-tea, a local delicacy
JU SHEN LEE
The embrace of a mother: Yamina, of the Beni Guil nomads, shields her children from the harsh gusts near their home on the outskirts of Tendrara, Morocco. Winds of up to 60mph whip sand and dirt across the parched terrain
YZZA SLAOUI
Honor Loxton, of Crate to Plate, in Elephant and Castle, south London. The company grows fresh produce including lettuce, rocket, kale, basil, parsley, coriander and mint in shipping containers using hydroponics
JOANNA VESTEY
The Holderness coast on the East Riding of Yorkshire has the highest rate of coastal erosion in Europe. A project called Lost Villages is documenting the irreversible change to the landscape. It is estimated that up to 32 villages dating back to Roman times have already been lost
NEIL WHITE
Save our forests: Sonia Bhamra is using the ancient wisdom of Sikh theology to address the negative impact humans are having on the planet and how we are destroying the very nature we are part of
SONIA BHAMRA
Monster of Damodar: A lack of freshwater from global warming means fishermen in West Bengal, India, have to navigate through a thick growth of algae. Health and livelihoods are threatened by environmental degradation on the Damodar River
SANDIPANI CHATTOPADHYAY
Searching for life: Elsewhere in West Bengal, the lack of rain is causing a severe drinking water crisis. The Bankura district in West Bengal is badly affected with villagers having to collect muddy water from dried river beds and filter it to make it drinkable
SANDIPANI CHATTOPADHYAY
In Accra, the capital of Ghana, 35-year-old Nurideen breaks down a broken battery charger inverter, which was used as backup device in a solar energy storage system. He will resell valuable material inside such as copper or metal. Unusable material is burnt, which releases toxic gases
SANDRA WELLER
A protected ancient forest in Eagle Fern Park, Oregon, where trees in the barren land are left to decompose naturally
LIZA FAKTOR
A surreal take on a beach scene at Barcelona illustrates what the landscape would look like without surrounding vegetation
MARCEL STAHN
No need to rush for this peacock, making its way at a stately pace across the road in Rodeo, California
ANNETTE BURKE
Members of the Hezoudé beekeepers association in the Abdoulaye Forest, Togo, sustainably produce forest honey from the nature reserve. Every year the forest shrinks, forcing transient people to look for new places to settle
THOMAS MARTIN
Farmland in Sylhet, Bangladesh, was devastated when seasonal rains in May last year set off a series of flash floods. Some 7.2 million people across nine districts were affected by the catastrophe with villages submerged and thousands of hectares of agricultural lands lost
SUBRATA DEY
The search for food drives elephants into the paddy fields of Sherpur in Bangladesh in the dead of night
K M ASAD
A desperate scene in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, where monsoon rains caused widespread flooding. Bangladesh has experienced increasing extreme weather in recent years, causing large-scale damage. Environmentalists warn climate change could lead to more disasters, especially in low-lying and densely populated areas
AZIM KHAN RONNIE
Poznan zoo in Poland agreed to take exotic animals that were at risk of being abandoned during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since the invasion, a big effort to save domestic, wild and endangered animals has been carried out by volunteers, army and territorial defence in Ukraine
MICHAL SIAREK
A bumblebee hovers in a meadow in Vestfold/Viken, eastern Norway
PAL HERMANSEN
A beachside property is swallowed by a collapsing cliff at Akrotiri Red Beach in Greece
SEBASTIAN LEWANDOWSKI
The vast scale of brickmaking industries in Bangladesh is causing havoc with the surrounding environment in the capital Dhaka. It is estimated that one million people churn out tens of billions of bricks each year across 7,000 separate kilns
AZIM KHAN RONNIE
Light reflects off a chalk stream in Dorset. Southern England contains 85 per cent of the world’s chalk streams, but they face a growing threat from sewage overspill, water abstraction, farmland run-off and the practice of stocking them with trout for sport fishing
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Parliament lawmakers from some political groups have drafted a deal to try to pass a landmark EU law to protect nature, which the parliament’s largest group is attempting to block.
The EU last year proposed measures to tackle the rapid decline in species and the health of Europe’s ecosystems, but has faced political pushback including from the European People’s Party (EPP) group of lawmakers, which opposes the law.
In a bid to salvage the proposal ahead of a parliament committee vote on June 15, other lawmaker groups – including the Socialists & Democrats and the Greens – have devised a compromise.
Their proposed amendments, seen by Reuters, would offer national governments more flexibility to decide which infrastructure projects are allowed to override some of the nature targets.
That could ease concerns raised by Denmark that restoring nature could slow the build-out of wind farms, or the Netherlands’ worry for new housing projects.
Some affected industries publicly supported the law this week, after it came under fire from lawmakers and some governments questioning whether the EU is pushing through too much environmental regulation.
“Nature restoration and the expansion of wind energy go hand in hand,” industry group WindEurope said in a statement on Tuesday.
The lawmakers’ proposal also includes tweaks to attempt to win over EPP lawmakers, such as by deleting a target – which was not binding – to introduce trees, hedges, ponds and other features that support biodiversity in 10% of EU agriculture area.
EPP lawmakers had said that would harm farmers by taking agricultural land out of production, and on Wednesday said the compromise did not go far enough.
The Commission has said introducing more biodiverse features would maintain or increase Europe’s agricultural output, by making farmland more resilient to extreme weather like floods and improving pollinator populations.
The proposal must also pass a July vote in the full EU Parliament, and win support from EU countries, to become law.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett, additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Nick Macfie)
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has caused quite a stir since it got up and running last summer, revealing a slew of contenders for the title of “oldest galaxy we’ve ever seen.”
There’s still no clear verdict on the winner of that contest, but JWST helped astronomers crown a different champion last month. They just confirmed the faintest galaxy yet seen in the early universe, a result published in the journal Nature.
“Before the Webb telescope switched on, just a year ago, we could not even dream of confirming such a faint galaxy,” UCLA astronomer Tommaso Treu, a co-author on the new work, said in a press release.
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This galaxy, known as JD1, is part of the first generation of galaxies to pop up in our universe’s 13.8-billion-year history. It’s about 13.3 billion light-years away from us, meaning we’re observing it as it looked when the universe was only a few hundred million years old — a meager 4% of its current age. This early era of the universe is known as the “epoch of reionization,” the time when the first stars formed and ushered the universe out of darkness.
Astronomers are still trying to figure out exactly what the first galaxies looked like, and how they were able to light up the universe to create what we see today. Most of the infant galaxies JWST has spotted are bright, but they’re thought to be outliers. Instead, astronomers suspect that fainter, smaller galaxies like JD1 did most of the heavy lifting during reionization.
“Ultra-faint galaxies such as JD1, on the other hand, are far more numerous, which is why we believe they are more representative of the galaxies that conducted the reionization process,” said study lead author Guido Roberts-Borsani, an astronomer at UCLA, in the same press release.
JWST’s powerful infrared instruments were only part of the reason astronomers were able to observe JD1. They also used a technique called gravitational lensing, in which light from a distant object is bent by the gravity of something huge in the foreground, like a cluster of galaxies. This acts like a magnifying glass, making faraway objects appear bigger and brighter — and, in the case of JD1, possible to spot.
“The combination of JWST and the magnifying power of gravitational lensing is a revolution,” said Treu. “We are rewriting the book on how galaxies formed and evolved in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang.”
Editor’s note: The author works at the same university as the researchers behind the new findings, but was not involved in this project.
CAPTIVATING: ‘Morning Catch’ is one of many photographs by Kate Sanchez on display at the Little Egg Harbor branch of the Ocean County Library this month. (Photo by Kate Sanchez)
Throughout the month of June, the Ocean County Library’s Little Egg Harbor branch is displaying photographs of Southern Ocean County’s natural splendor, and the creatures that inhabit it, by local artist Kate Sanchez.
Sanchez, who is the branch’s youth services librarian, said she has been smitten with the outdoors since childhood. By high school age, she began to preserve the beauty of her surroundings in photos. Now, each image underscores our delicate ecological balance.
“There’s a sense of tranquility that comes with being in nature,” she said. “Photography allows me to share that feeling with others. It’s a great way to connect with the natural world and appreciate its beauty in a new way.”
With more than a decade of service in the Ocean County Library System and a growing family, Sanchez keeps a busy daily schedule. Capturing images in serene settings, she said, helps her to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
“We’re lucky to live in a place where there are so many beautiful parks, waterfronts, and trails to explore,” she added. “Nature photography has become a way to connect with nature, bond with my family and share my passion with others. I hope that through my photos, I can inspire others to appreciate the beauty of nature and take action to protect it for future generations.”
No registration is required to view the display. For more information, stop by the branch, located at 290 Mathistown Rd., or call 609-294-1197. —E.E.
Fifty-four and fabulous! Ricki Lake embraced her body and age while on a retreat to Mill Valley, California.
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“Hands down, these days are the best of my life,” the Hairspray actress, 54, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, June 6, alongside a nude photo. “54 1/2 years old (young!).”
In the snap, the former talk show host crossed her arms over her bare chest while sitting in a bathtub in the middle of the woods. She leaned back and had a big smile on her face as she enjoyed the great outdoors with her husband, Ross Burningham.
Ricki LakeCourtesy of Ricki Lake/Instagram
“Grateful for all that had to happen for me to get to here,” Lake continued. “A place of complete self-acceptance and self-love. … #nature #redwoods #love #gratitude #groundedeuphoria #selflove.”
The New York native gave her partner a shout-out, noting that Burningham, 54, makes “every adventure the most fun ever.” She also revealed that Mill Valley “is the s—t.”
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Lake’s friends and followers were quick to show her support, including Rosie O’Donnell, who wrote in the comments section, “I can’t explain how much I adore u
.”
Actress Rachael Harris agreed with Lake’s outlook on self-acceptance, replying, “You just keep getting better and better lady
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The Ricki Lake Show alum has a history of being vulnerable with her fans, including earlier this year when she recalled the “brave ass leap” she took in 2019 to shave her head. In the January Instagram video, Lake told her followers that three years prior she “chose to make the drastic decision to shave my head after years and years of struggling in secret w/ my androgenic hair loss.”
The Dancing With the Stars alum explained: “I have never shared this raw video footage before but felt like I wanted to now, for those of you who have followed my story and have been invested in it. Some of you know my struggle all too well personally and I want you to know, I truly feel you.”
The Cry-Baby actress noted that the emotional clip showed her coming to a place of “peace, liberation, and most importantly, self-love and self-acceptance” after struggling for years over her appearance.
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She concluded that she now has a better appreciation and “love” for her “natural gray and sometimes wild unruly head of hair.”
The Charm School executive producer previously opened up exclusively to Us Weekly about her hair journey after going public in 2020 with her struggles. “I have been struggling with hair loss for most of my adult life. It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things,” she said in February 2021. “There have been a few times where I have even felt suicidal over it.”
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Lake revealed that after shaving her head she began using Danish brand Harklinikke to grow her locks. “It has given me my life back,” the Under the Christmas Tree actress explained to Us. “And I know those are big words, but honestly, anyone that’s suffered with this knows what I’m talking about. It takes over your life. Every time you walk past a mirror, every time you run a brush through your hair … I love my hair today … I never thought I’d be in that place.”
Anyone at home can now view the vast and varied beauty of Colorado through the eyes of the state’s most celebrated landscape photographer.
History Colorado on Tuesday announced it had finished digitizing, cataloging and organizing a repository of more than 6,500 images of John Fielder’s illustrious career spanning close to 50 years. History Colorado had previously announced Fielder donating his life’s work in hopes of inspiring an appreciation of nature and climate action.
The photos found on the John Fielder’s Colorado Collection webpage can be pulled for private and commercial use. The site includes curated lists for viewers to explore the mountains and plains of every county in the state just as Fielder did.
For decades, the photos have been seen in coffee table books and across walls of homes and offices everywhere. That includes the office of Gov. Jared Polis.
“This photograph is a constant reminder of the natural wonders found in our state, which generations of conservationists, lawmakers and everyday people have fought to protect for the enjoyment of future generations,” Polis said in a news release. “This collection, and the exhibitions that will come from it, are a chance for us to celebrate John and all he has accomplished, but more importantly, to honor the legacy he has created and the gift he is giving to the people of Colorado.”
Later this summer, History Colorado expects to open an exhibit at its downtown Denver center affording a more intimate journey through Fielder’s career. Much of that career has been dedicated to conservation; Fielder has always sought lands and waters to photograph and show to lawmakers in charge of protection.
The collection “is a profound opportunity for Coloradans to see the breathtaking vistas that define the Centennial State,” History Colorado Executive Director Dawn DiPrince said in the news release, “and evaluate if the relationship we have with the land will allow for our grandchildren to experience the same wonders.”
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Upon the announcement of his donation, Fielder in an interview explained how he had seen landscapes change since he started photographing in the 1970s. In a life that saw him lose his wife to illness and son to suicide, Fielder described the loss of nature as heartbreaking as well.
“It’s like losing a wife and son, you think about them every day,” he said. “So too do I think about the impact humans have on Earth and what it’s going to be like here.”
In preparation for the donation, sifting through tens of thousands of files from his pre- and post-digital camera days gave him that reflection. It has been a deep time of reflection for Fielder, 72.
After months of quietly battling pancreatic cancer, he recently went public with the diagnosis.
One “incredible asset to (organizing the collection) is I revisited all these places that have defined my life, the most sublime places in Colorado,” Fielder said in a previous Gazette interview. “That was an incredible treat.”
He thought back to his father from his North Carolina childhood. He remembered the man for volunteering and raising money for charitable causes.
“He was a man who believed you have to give back to your community,” Fielder said. “I’ve been able to give back to my community, and I feel like no matter what happens to me, I’ve achieved all of my goals.”
