ALEC            SHUMATE

In October of 2018, Alec Shumate and a team of researchers and documentarians traveled to the border of the Vale do Javari Indigenous Reserve in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Forbidden to outsiders, and encompassing a territory roughly the size of Austria, the reserve is home to the largest concentration of uncontacted tribes left on Earth. Within this wild frontier of tribal turf wars, illegal logging and mining operations, evangelical missionary efforts, and thinly spread government agencies, the team met with a delegation of the Matis tribe as they continue their tumultuous integration with the outside world.

New Year’s Eve in Phnom Penh; two childhood friends join up with a team of young explorers and scientists preparing to conduct an environmental survey of remote tributaries and villages along the Mekong River. Sponsored by the Explorers Club, the World Wildlife Fund, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, and carrying the flag of the Adventurers’ Club of Los Angeles, the expedition hoped to gather important data about water quality, pollution levels, and the overall impact on the communities and wildlife that depend on the river for survival. This video was made possible by footage and pictures provided by our fellow team members: Garrett Cooper, Brianna Rowe, Rebecca Ziegler, Lizzie Rosenberger, Leigh Wright, Jeremy Hirschhorn, Sydney Aveson, and Leon Schoenfeld.