The Central Appalachians : Mountains of the Chesapeake

A collection of over 250 photographs and episodic essays that celebrates the biodiversity, adventure, and ecology of the Central Appalachian mountains, and outlines its ecological stories and preservation needs.

Beautiful and wild, the Central Appalachians of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia are a hotspot for biodiversity. They also make up a large part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and are responsible for a majority of its freshwater flow to the Chesapeake Bay. 

Award-winning author and nature photographer Mark Hendricks spent years documenting life on the mountain trails and underneath Appalachian waters, and built camera traps to capture images of rarely seen species, to capture this collection of over 250 beautiful and fascinating photographs in The Central Appalachians. Beyond their aesthetics, these photographs facilitate a better understanding of the environmental importance of the area.

Among each image are various essays that outline the ecological stories and preservation needs of the Central Appalachians. Those include: 

• Stories of an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker
• A biologist dedicated to saving fungus-plagued bats in winter caves
• An ecologist who protects one of the most rare ecosystems in the region
• A close encounter with a bobcat
• Various encounters with other rare and exciting species such as black bear, eastern hellbender and other rare salamanders, and sparring elk
• And more

Well-known locations such as Shenandoah National Park are featured prominently, as are little-known areas such as the Finzel Swamp and the famous reintroduced elk herd of north-central Pennsylvania. The Central Appalachians is a wild and wonderful journey for all nature and nature photography lovers.