White Sands interested me as a landscape to include in “Surface Surveys,” my ongoing photographic series examining global wildernesses. I knew its vast gypsum dunes would offer an unparalleled example of a preserved desert habitat. What I didn’t know was how hard it was going to be to capture it.
The park is surrounded by White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), Holloman Air Force Base and the historic Trinity Site, birthplace of the atomic bomb. What began as a straightforward exploration of an otherworldly expanse evolved into a surprising collaboration with the US Army.
Unlike the recent surveys I had completed along the Arabian Peninsula (2017) or Greenland Ice Sheet (2015, 2017), it thrilled me that this extraordinary setting was close to my home in the Rocky Mountains. Since beginning the project in 2015, I have traveled extensively for fieldwork, and the prospect of a more accessible survey held considerable appeal. Completing the study, however, would pose formidable logistical challenges surpassing even those faced during my two-year endeavor with the Greenland Ice Sheet. The initial allure of proximity quickly gave way to the uneasy discovery of the daunting security protocols I had to navigate.
I learned from WSNP that no civilian had ever received permission to fly over the sands as the airspace is “fully restricted from surface to space.” Obtaining clearance highlighted the unusual position of a national park residing in an area of national security. To gain the necessary permits, I contacted not the National Park Service, but the U.S. Army’s Test and Evaluation Command Center, the entity that manages testing approvals at White Sands Missile Range. As I sought to document another jewel in mother nature’s crown, I found myself completing paperwork—adorned with the seal of the Department of Defense—designed for missile test approvals. Such an unforeseen and dramatic development revealed the extraordinary nature of my request and heightened the sense of adventure it promised.
Faced with a two-week deadline against the army’s standard eight-week timeline for such clearances, I implored officials to begin the process despite the slim chance of success. After following a multi-step procedure requiring eight signatures, I secured the mission assignment ‘Foxtrot Echo’ for access from “surface to 12,000 feet” over the park. This go-ahead was a victory in and of itself.
Permission granted, my son and I arrived in El Paso - I with freshly broken ribs suffered in a hockey game. But with clear skies and calm winds, instead of the high winds and clouds that could have prevailed, I was consumed with eager anticipation. We flew in a Cessna fixed wing and a doorless Robinson 44 helicopter, under the watchful eye of continuous military escort, ensuring our compliance and facilitating our unprecedented access.
Lifting off in the Robinson 44, I was reminded of the always remarkable sensation of weightlessness, and the freedom to roam in any direction. Steadying my position in the open air, I trained my Leica on the expanse beneath us. I was so engrossed, only the occasional tug of my seatbelt reminded me of the thin barrier between me and the dunes 12,000 feet below. The stark white gypsum, sculpted into mesmerizing formations, held an uncanny resemblance to dripping plaster, incredibly evoking a direct visual parallel to the mineral’s primary application.
Our helicopter pilot, an active-duty soldier, Purple Heart recipient, and true gentleman, represented the human face of our military-industrial complex—his service and sacrifice personifying the cost of freedom. Afterward, military personnel, all exceptionally helpful and courteous, collected camera memory cards for an Operational Security Review (OPSEC) before returning them several weeks later.
What began as a survey of a surface became something for which I could not have planned: clearances, escorts, and especially the bird's eye view of the dunes as I photographed them. From the military clearances to sharing a rare aerial perspective with a decorated soldier, the survey of White Sands culminated in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.