I’d set my heart on photographing the return of North American River Otters to my part of Long Island, NY. Much to my utter shock, after a year and a half of attempts at various scenting stations, I stumbled across a site about a mile from my home, in a very well traveled green space. Was it there all along, and my eyes just didn't see it? Was it new? I may never know. But I do know if we look can find the beauty in our own backyards, and dedicate ourselves with gratitude to its care. After unregulated harvest, habitat destruction, and water pollution dwindled their numbers, Long Island, NY is experiencing a return of its naturally historic otter population. It's a fragile and exciting moment that hinges on our nurturing of this renewal. No clean water, no otters. No fish, no otters. The relatively recent limits on fishing of Atlantic Menhaden has brought a return of aquatic and semi-aquatic creatures to our shores. It has been a startling recovery.