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Health & Fitness

Clyde Butcher Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Big Cypress National Preserve at His Annual President's Weekend Open House

Internationally renowned landscape photographer and environmentalist Clyde Butcher and his wife, Niki, invite the public to attend their annual Presidents Weekend open house February 15-16, 2014 at their Big Cypress Gallery in the Big Cypress Preserve, Western Everglades.  This year’s event serves as a kick-off for the year-long, 40th anniversary celebration of the Preserve, which was the first national preserve in the U.S.  Thus, the Butchers are donating all proceeds from the weekend’s events to the South Florida National Parks Trust to support its education program at the Big Cypress Preserve.

During the two-day President’s Weekend event, guests have the opportunity to meet the photographer—known for his large format, black-and-white film masterpieces—take guided swamp tours, and learn about Butcher’s two-decade history of photographing in the Preserve, among other natural settings, and displaying his breathtaking and work at the gallery.

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 “We are thrilled to help celebrate this momentous anniversary and bring awareness to the Preserve at the same time. This is a perfect opportunity to focus on the beauty of this special place and support the grassroots effort to protect it for future generations,” said Clyde Butcher.

The Butchers, who rarely make public appearances, will be in the gallery both days to greet guests and autograph books.  A number of other family-friendly activities will take place throughout the weekend, including lectures by both Clyde and Nikki Butcher and guided swamp walks, allowing visitors to explore the Preserve and subject of many of Butcher’s photographs right in the backyard of the gallery. Guests interested in taking part in a swamp walk are asked to bring a bag lunch and reserve a space online in advance. The times are as follows:

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Schedule of events for Saturday & Sunday

  • 9:30 a.m.:  “Big Cypress National Preserve: Primeval Beauty,” a lecture by Clyde and Niki Butcher held in their back pond theater
  • 11:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (throughout the day): Meet Clyde Butcher, who will share stories about photographing the Big Cypress Preserve and sign books.
  • 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. (every hour on the hour): Guided swamp walks behind the Big Cypress Gallery.  Space is limited.

For more information about the event, directions, or to reserve your swamp walk, call 239.695.2428 or visit clydebutcher.com

A large selection of Clyde's photography can be viewed at his Venice Gallery & Studio in Venice, Florida, and at his Big Cypress Gallery, which is located on 13 acres in the center of the Everglades, midway between Naples and Miami on Tamiami Trail (Hwy. 41), in the Big Cypress National Preserve. The gallery is surrounded by more than a million acres of national park wetlands and wild Florida cypress strands. For more information go to www.clydebutcher.com/events.cfm

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