Mariah Lundgren has been a conservation photographer and filmmaker for a decade, focusing on stories within the Great Plains and the American West. She loves giving voice to the voiceless and working with scientists to turn their research into clear, engaging narratives. Her work is driven by a deep passion for grasslands and other underappreciated ecosystems; she uses storytelling to help people better understand and care for our natural world.

She is the project manager & producer for Platte Basin Timelapse–a conservation storytelling project that uses timelapse photography and multimedia to explore watersheds. The project was co-founded by iLCP Senior Fellow Michael Forsberg. In 2017, she co-produced the national PBS documentary, Follow the Water. Today, her award-winning short films have been featured on local PBS stations and screened at film festivals across North America.

Mariah is a graduate of the University of Nebraska’s School of Natural Resources, on faculty with Summit Workshops, and an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers. In 2021, she co-developed a class at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, “NRES 260: Introduction to Conservation Photography”. She is also a licensed drone pilot, holding her FAA Part 107 certification since 2018.

Born and raised in Nebraska, she now calls Colorado home and spends her free time snowboarding, exploring the mountains and prairies, and backyard farming with her husband, two cats, and five chickens.

NOTABLES & UPDATES
2025 Faculty Instructor, Summit Nature and Conservation - Jackson, WY
2025 Contributing Artists, From the Great Lakes to the Great Plains: The Visible Currents of Climate Change, Bemis Center - Omaha, NE
2025 Cover image for Quail Forever’s magazine spring addition
2024 NebraskaLAND Magazine May 2024 story, Fens Forever
2024 Omtvedt Innovation Award for Platte Basin Timelapse
2024 Faculty Instructor, Summit Nature and Conservation - Jackson, WY
2024 Contributing photographer for the book, “The Nebraska Sandhills”
2023 Accepted into the iLCP as an Associate Fellow
2023 Faculty Instructor, Summit Nature and Conservation - Jackson, WY
2023 Cover image and ten-page spread for “Wetlands of Nebraska” May 2023 NEBRASKAland magazine
2023 Contributing photographer for Sierra Magazine, “How To Think Like a Watershed” and “What About Bob?”
2023 Contributing Artist, Group Exhibition, UNK Walker Art Gallery - Kearney, NE
2022 Junior Instructor, Summit Nature and Conservation - Jackson, WY
2020 Awarded membership to the Her Wild Vision directory
2019 Contributing Artist, Group Exhibition, A River Runs Through It - Museum of Nebraska Art - Kearney, NE
2019 Contributing Editor and Advisor, Cherish Nebraska - University of Nebraska State Museum - Lincoln, NE
2018 Workshop Presenter, Montana Watershed Coordination Council Symposium - Whitefish, MT

One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. ― Edward Abbey