Local teen shares photos from Galapagos Island excursion

By Althea Peterson

Transcript Staff Writer

When one local teen set off for Galapagos Island last spring, she did not know what to expect.

What Leah Dile, 14, of Norman, discovered, will be on display for the rest of the community to share as well. The exhibit, "Young Eyes on an Old World: Galapagos Photographs by Leah Dile," will be on display at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History starting today until Jan. 15, 2007. Dile's trip to Galapagos was part of the first-ever National Geographic Teen Expedition.

The exhibit features 60 of Dile's photographs, a National Geographic video showcasing the trip, and other photographs showing the other participants and Dile.

"It makes you so much more aware of the conservation efforts when you see it going on over there," Dile said. "On one of the islands, they actually built stairs to the top of a volcano so people wouldn't wear away the mountain."

Dile said some of her favorite creatures she had the opportunity to view and photograph were the sea turtles and sea lions, which were her favorite. The group of 15 teens chosen for the trip stayed on a boat during their 7-day expedition to Galapagos.

"It was hard to tell you were on a boat until you walked outside and couldn't go anywhere," Dile said.

Each teen was allowed to bring one parent along on the trip. Leah's father, Steve Dile, said one of the best parts was to see the kids experience a new environment for the first time.

"Probably the neatest thing was to be able to observe Leah and seeing things through her eyes," he said. "Each day, there was something new, from white sand to dark, from flat to hilly."

Jana Dile, Leah's mother, said it was an honor to have Leah's photographs on display at the museum.

"This is pretty amazing that the museum would allow us to be here tonight," she said. "It's been a blessing for the family."

Steve Dile said he agrees.

"It's a great thing to share with so many people than we could have imagined," he said.