Forty-Four

 

There is incredible beauty in the species that we stand to lose from the North American continent: in the curved horn of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, in the liquid gleam of a Tooth Cave Pseudoscorpion’s pincer, and in the more than 10,000 year-old story of the Iowa Pleistocene Snail. By depicting this particular selection of forty-four at risk species, I hope to contribute to a more complete understanding of the current extinction crisis. This crisis is claiming charismatic megafauna and humble invertebrates alike, and is unfolding here, quietly and steadily, in the rivers, forests and prairies that we too often take for granted.

  • The work in the series "Forty-Four" explores 44 threatened and endangered species found within the United States. This is the first body of work I developed by drawing from academic research. In order to select the species depicted in this series, I explored each of the hundreds of species that were designated as endangered or threatened at the Federal level in 2016, compiling a list of visually compelling ecological narratives. Pieces in this series examine at-risk wildlife through the lenses of ecosystems, the threats of invasive species and hyperpredation, the human practice of fire-suppression and mythology.

    This work premiered in a 2016 Solo Show at Antler Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Two pieces from the show, 'Prey' and 'Fire,' were acquired for the National Museum of Wildlife Art's permanent collection in 2017. The pieces 'Prey' and 'Caracara' were completed during a month-long Artist Residency at PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon.

    Two editions of a 52 page catalogue identifying each species in the series and explaining the ecological narratives within the work were printed to accompany the show. 

A large pencil rendering of 3 Crested Caracaras balancing on a nest around a magical glowing egg.

Caracara, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 42" x 30" (107 x 76 cm)

  • The Crested Caracara is generally a silent bird, but when it does call, the raptor throws its head back and emits a loud, rattling cry. The Guarani people, one of the First Nations peoples of Brazil, described the sound as “traro-traro,” from which the name Caracara is derived.* Crested Caracaras are found throughout northern South America and Central America, where the bird is a common subject in legends and folklore. Its range in the United States is limited to southern Texas, a small portion of southwestern Arizona, and Florida. The Florida population is nonmigratory and genetically isolated from Crested Caracaras found elsewhere. Urban and agricultural development has shrunk the Caracara’s nesting habitat, limiting the Caracara’s range to a five-county area north and west of Lake Okeechobee in the southern portion of the state. This Florida population is the only Crested Caracara population listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

    Crested Caracaras are not sexually dimorphic, meaning that male and female Caracaras cannot be visually distinguished from each other. They mate for life, and may live to be over 20 years old. Little is known about their courtship; however limited observations suggest that rituals may include the pair emitting their namesake cry together and preening each other’s feathers. In Costa Rica, a Caracara pair was observed making their rattle call and feasting upon a lizard together, although this may have been the activity of an already mated pair, and not part of a courtship ritual.

    Caracara nests are built anew each breeding season, perched on the top of a shrub or tree at heights of 8 to 50 feet above the ground. The pair constructs the nest of “haphazardly woven vines” together. They create a depression in the nest’s center by trampling the nest material with their unusually flat talons. Compared to most raptors, Caracara talons are very flat and thus are better suited for walking and running. Most commonly two but sometimes three eggs are laid each season. The pair incubate their eggs together, fiercely defending the nest site from other adult Caracaras. Eggs hatch after 28 days and the young Caracaras fledge after eight weeks.

    *You can listen to a Crested Caracara cry on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website.

    Featured Species: Crested CaraCara (Polyborus plancus audubonii)

A scientific illustration depicts a garter snake floating in an aesthetic tangle of riparian species.

Riparian, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 36" x 26" (91 x 66 cm)

  • Over 1,000 miles southwest of the Iowa Pleistocene Snail’s algific talus slopes, another ancient, tiny snail clings to existence in a changed world. The Kanab Ambersnail, a landsnail that is dependent on wetland host plants, can be found in only two small habitats in Utah and Arizona. It preserves the memory of an age when wetlands, springs and seeps were more plentiful in the now arid Southwest. Over the past two hundred years, the accelerated pace of anthropogenic change has imperiled many other riparian and aquatic species. The Gila Chub first felt the man-made tendrils of catastrophe in the late 1800s, when beavers were extirpated from the Gila River basin; dams constructed by beavers created ideal habitat for the small fish. With humans also came the introduction of non-native species: predatory bullfrogs, fish and crayfish that now pose the greatest threat to the Gila Chub, and to one of the Gila’s native predators, the Narrow-Headed Garter Snake. This uniquely constructed reptile is one of the most aquatic garter snakes, with a body specifically designed for water. It uses its prehensile tail to anchor itself against swift currents and its unusually elongated head to rapidly strike its aquatic prey. Flying above the hunting ground of the Narrow-Headed Garter can be seen another endangered species, the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. This small, broad-billed bird depends on dense riparian vegetation for breeding, preferring to construct its small cup-shaped nests within 20 yards of water or very wet soil. The removal and thinning of such vegetation has contributed to its decline.

    Featured Species: Narrow-Headed Garter Snake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus), Gila Chub (Gila intermedia), Kanab Ambersnail (Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis), Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)

A surreal pencil drawing shows Desert Bighorn Sheep sheltering at-risk Island Foxes.

Prey, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 42" x 30" (107 x 76 cm) Now in the Permanent Collection of the National Museum of Wildlife Art

  • In this imagined scene, the endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep and once-endangered Channel Island Foxes take shelter together against a common predator, the Golden Eagle.


    CHANNEL ISLAND FOXES
    On California’s Channel Islands, Golden Eagles played an important role in an ecosystem come undone. The Channel Islands had hosted their endemic, cat-sized Channel Island Foxes for almost 16,000 years when settlers arrived in the 1800s, destroying precious habitat and spreading mainland canine disease. These settler also brought livestock. Pigs escaped and multiplied, making an enticing buffet for Golden Eagles. Historically, the Channel Island Foxes shared their territory with a population of Bald Eagles, who, as the dominant raptor, kept curious goldens at bay. As enthusiastic piscivores, Bald Eagles also left the foxes well alone. But with the widespread post-WWII use of DDT, the islands’ Bald Eagles disappeared. Without their bald cousins to deter them, Golden Eagles moved in, rapaciously devouring feral pigs and foxes alike. By 2000, the Channel Island Fox population had plummeted to just a few dozen individuals.

    In 2004, four of the six subspecies of Channel Island Fox were listed as endangered species. The National Park Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Catalina Island Conservancy sprang into action, establishing captive breeding programs for the foxes and eliminating the feral pig population. Bald Eagles were re-introduced, driving out their golden cousins, and the few Golden Eagles that remained were captured and relocated. In 12 short years, the Channel Island Fox population rebounded to almost 6,000 individuals.

    In August of 2016, three of the Channel Island Fox subspecies were delisted: the San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island and Santa Cruz Island Foxes. The remaining Santa Catalina Island Fox was downlisted from endangered to threatened. The Santa Catalina Island Fox retains a threatened status because Santa Catalina Island’s permanent human population puts the fox at risk of diseases spread from dogs and stow- away raccoons.

    The incredible recovery of the Channel Island Fox makes it only the 37th species to be removed from the Endangered Species List due to recovery, and the fastest-recovering mammal in the 43 years of the Endangered Species’ Act’s history.

    SIERRA NEVADA BIGHORNS
    Although adult Sierra Nevada Bighorns are much too large to fall prey to Golden Eagles, the raptors occasionally prey upon bighorn lambs. With their warm coats, short, strong legs and sticky-padded hooves, the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep are built for life high on rugged mountain peaks. Found only in their namesake mountains, Sierra Nevada Bighorns suffered huge population declines in the previous two centuries due to unregulated hunting and disease transmission from domestic sheep. In 1995, only 100 sheep remained of the estimated 1,000 that inhabited the Sierras before 1850. Since its emergency listing as an endangered species in 1999, nonprofit advocates and the California and federal governments have helped the Sierra Nevada Bighorns in their recovery. There are now 600 bighorns in the Sierras, and the sheep have returned to areas like Yosemite National Park, where they had once disappeared completely. National Geographic reports that only 30 additional, properly distributed ewes are needed to downlist the species. With the proper management this could be achieved in just five short years.


    COASTAL CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER
    The Coastal California Gnatcatcher has lost ninety percent of its coastal sage scrub habitat to human development. Although it is rare, Golden Eagles have been reported capturing birds as small as sparrows, and its range does overlap with that of the Coastal California Gnatcatcher.


    GOLDEN EAGLES
    The Golden Eagle is also a species in peril. Ranked Climate Endangered by the Audubon society, the Golden Eagle is expected to lose 41 percent of breeding range and 16 percent of non-breeding range by 2080 due to the effects of the changing climate.

    Featured Species: Sierra Nevada Bighorn (Ovis canadensis ssp. sierrae), Santa Catalina Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae), Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica)

Fire, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 36" x 26" (107 x 76 cm) Now in the Permanent Collection of the National Museum of Wildlife Art

  • THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRE
    Fire destroys invasive plants, helps to maintain ecosystem stability and biodiversity, replaces older, potentially insect- infested or diseased plants with younger, more productive members of the same species, periodically removes forest debris that could fuel larger, more destructive fires, helps to cycle nutrients back into the soil, and creates habitat for species in burned-out snags. Fire’s rich contributions to the prairie, forest and brushland ecosystems it visits have only recently been recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

    FIRE AND THE US FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE
    In 1910, the “Big Blowup” fires burned 3 million Midwestern acres in just two days. In response, the newly minted U.S. Forest Service established a practice of total fire suppression: fires were to be prevented and extinguished as quickly as possible. This policy led to the Smokey Bear campaign and to the widespread misconception that fire was solely destructive. As early as the 1930s, researchers looking at the longleaf pine forests of the south argued against this misconception. However, it was not until the 1970s that the U.S. Forest Service reversed its policy, establishing a “let-burn” policy that tolerates natural firesin designated wilderness areas when and were appropriate. Prescribed fires, or controlled burns, are now an important tool of conservationists seeking to maintain or restore imperiled ecosystems.

    GOWEN CYPRESS
    Only two natural stands of the Gowen cypress are known to exist, found on California’s Monterey peninsula. This small conifer is highly fire dependent; female cones are serotinous, meaning that they open and release seeds only when exposed to high heat or fire. Fire suppression, coupled with development, have put this species at grave risk.

    BLACK PINE SNAKE & LONGLEAF PINE FORESTS
    The Black Pine Snake, a large powerful constrictor now found only in Alabama and Mississippi, is one of many species that have suffered from the massive decline of the longleaf pine forests in the American southeast. Only 3% of the once 90 million acres of longleaf pine forests remain, the majority having been lost to urban and agricultural development, timber harvesting and because of fire suppression.

    Longleaf pine forests historically experienced fires every few years. These fires, set by lightening and by First Nations peoples, created a forest of widely spaced trees which allowed plenty of sunlight to reach the forest floor. Almost 900 indigenous plant species thrive in this sun-rich understory, making longleaf pine forests one of the most biodiverse forest types in the world.

    The life-cycle of the longleaf pine is adapted to withstand and promote wildland fire. Longleaf seedlings delay their growth at a minute grass stage, focusing their energies on root growth until fire sweeps the landscape and triggers their largest growth spurt. Mature longleaf pines have multiple layers of bark to protect their core from fire damage and are serotinous like the Gowen cypress. The extremely long (up to 18 inch) needles that they drop cover the understory and combine with native grasses to fuel future fires.

    The practice of fire suppression upset the balance of the longleaf pine ecosystem, promoting the growth of tree species with large, sunlight-blocking canopies and leading to the build- up of forest debris. Native plants suffer in this new, shady, debris-covered understory, and longleaf pine seeds cannot reach the soil to germinate. A vital aspect of the restoration efforts of longleaf forests has been the practice of prescribed fire.

    MISSISSIPPI SANDHILL CRANE & WET PINE SAVANNA
    The Mississippi sandhill crane is one of the rarest bird in the world. Once found in flocks of thousands across Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, a single, non-migratory population of approximately 100 cranes remains on and adjacent to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. The decline of the Mississippi sandhill crane is linked to the decline of its incredibly rare preferential ecosystem type: the wet pine savanna. Only two to three percent of the original area of wet pine savanna remains, making it one of the most endangered ecosystem types in the country.

    The combination of plentiful sunlight and rainfall and lacking soil nutrients keeps any single plant species from dominating the savanna understory, creating conditions for incredible diversity: over 200 under-story plant species can be found in the wet pine savanna. Silviculture practices and rapid development spurred by the availability of air-conditioning were largely responsible for the decline of the wet pine savanna in the 1900s, but fire suppression also played a its part: with fire’s natural place in the ecosystem suppressed, woody plants invaded, herbaceous plants were choked out, and the savanna converted to pine scrub, making the region unsuitable for Mississippi sandhill crane nesting. Today, the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge uses fall and spring prescribed fires to maintain the wet pine savanna’s species composition.

    Featured Species: Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla), Black pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi), Gowen cypress (Cupressus goveniana ssp. goveniana)

Glacial Relic, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 36" x 26" (91 x 66 cm)

  • The tiny Iowa Pleistocene Snail is a delicate invertebrate whose tightly coiled shell discretely winds over ten thousand years of inherited memory. This snail shared the North American continent with the long gone mega-fauna of the last ice age: dire wolves, mammoths and saber-tooth cats. As its giant neighbors perished, the tiny snail persisted, leaving impressions of its small existence in the fossil record across the Midwest. Scientists assumed the snail extinct until a specimen was identified in the collection of the National Museum in 1940, sadly lacking any indication of where it had been found. It took another 40 years to discover the snail’s current habitat: nestled in the leaf litter of algific talus slopes of northeast Iowa and Illinois. Thirty-seven snail colonies have since been found on this globally rare type of hillside habitat, a habitat formed by the cool breath of underground ice. Air enters sinkholes above the slope, is chilled by ice deposits and escapes again through hillside vents. This circulation of cold air creates conditions that support not only the Iowa Pleistocene Snail but a host of rare and threatened species. Ninety-six percent of the federally threatened Northern Monkshood population is found on algific talus slopes in Iowa.

    Featured Species: Iowa Pleistocene Snail (Discus macclintocki), Northern Monkshood (Aconitum noveboracense)

A drawing shows bats hanging from a floating cave rock, with tooth-cave pseudoscorpions and snails.

Karst, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 11" x 14" (30 x 36 cm)

  • KARST CAVES
    Karst landscapes are created by the water-driven chemical weathering of certain types of rock, such as limestone. The dissolution of these rocks creates distinctive landforms including sinkholes, underground streams and, perhaps most spectacularly, caves. Karst landscapes cover 20% of the earths surface, and as much as 25% of the globe depends upon freshwater supplied from karst aquifers. In the United States, 40% of drinking water passes through cave and karst systems. Karst landscapes are also incredibly fragile, and especially vulnerable to groundwater pollution that endangers both people and a fascinating array of troglobites. Troglobites are species that live their entire lives in the unique microclimates of cave dark zones. American caves are home to 41 federally listed endangered and threatened species, but according to the Nature Conservancy, 95% of the thousand known troglobite species found in the United State are at risk.

    TOOTH CAVE PSEUDOSCROPION
    The federally endangered Tooth Cave Pseudoscorpion is a tiny, gem-like predatory troglobite that can be found in the caves of Tavis County Texas’s Edwards plateau - specifically Tooth and Amber Caves. The Tooth Cave Pseudoscorpion has pincers - or pedipalps - that are equipped with poisonous glands. Its young disperse through phoresy, the practice of hitchhiking on a larger, more mobile species like beetles and flies. This 4-mm invertebrate is endangered by pollution and human encroachment. In some areas caves have been filled in and paved over for the construction of suburbs.

    TUMBLING CREEK CAVESNAIL
    In Missouri, Tumbling Creek Cave has been designated as a National Natural Landmark because it has the highest degree of cave fauna diversity known west of the Mississippi. This cave is home to the federally endangered Tumbling Creek Cavesnail, an aquatic snail that measures in at just under 3-mm. The snail was added to the endangered species list in 2001, when population surveys found that the number of snails had dropped from 15,000 in 1974 down to just 150. This population plunge is the dramatic result of soil erosion from once-forested land that was cleared for pasture in the 1970s and 80s. Sediment from these eroded pastures worked its way into the cave through sinkholes and streams, covering the cobbles preferred by the cavesnail with muck. Little is known about the mysterious Tumbling Creek Cavesnail, but because it is often found near large deposits of bat guano, it is thought that it may be indirectly dependent on bat droppings. Bats are considered trogloxenes - cave visitors or temporary cave residents - and are incredibly important to cave ecosystems because of the organic material they contribute through their guano and dead.

    BATS
    Tumbling Creek Caves is home to eight species of bats, including the endangered Indiana Bat. The primary source of nutrient-rich bat guano are endangered Gray Bats. Gray Bats live their entire lives in caves, hibernating in deep caves in winter and roosting in riverside caves in the summer, requiring cold caves for hibernation and warm caves for the raising of young. About 95% of known Gray Bats hibernate in just nine caves in the southeastern United States. Their practice of roosting in large numbers in just a few caves makes Gray Bats extremely vulnerable to human disturbance. The disturbance of hibernating bats can cause them to wake and fly about in fear, using up their limited energy reserves. These bats die when they leave caves in search of food too early in the year. The disturbance of roosting mothers can cause frightened mother bats to drop their single, flightless pup. A single human disturbance of a maternity cave can destroy a colony’s reproduction for an entire year. In 1976, the Gray Bat was one of the first species to be listed as endangered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, following a staggering 80% decline in its population caused by human disturbance and the pollution and siltation of the waterways over which the Gray Bat feeds. The gating of important hibernacula and maternity caves has allowed the Gray Bat to rebound since its 1976 listing, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced intentions to downlist the species in 2002.

    Like the Gray Bat, the Virginia Big-eared Bat and Ozark Big-eared Bat live their entire lives in karst caves in the southeastern United States, and are similarly sensitive to disturbance. Both are subspecies of the Townsend’s Big-eared Bat, and both are listed as endangered. The Townsend’s Big-eared Bat is particularly notable for its large ears, which curl up like ram’s horns when roosting and may help with lift-off.

    Featured Species: Virginia Big Eared Bat (Plecotus townsendii virginianus), Tooth Cave Pseudoscorpion (Tartarocreagris texana), Tumbling Creek Cavesnail (Antrobia culveri), Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)

An illustration of a California Red-legged frog protecting its eggs, and California endemic crayfish.

Competition, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 11" x 14" (30 x 36 cm)

  • The California Red-Legged Frog, Shasta Crayfish and Kern Primrose Sphinx Moth are three species found in California that are at risk because of habitat loss and the encroachment of invasive species.


    CALIFORNIA RED-LEGGED FROG
    The California Red-legged Frog is endemic (native and restricted) to California and Baja California, Mexico. It prefers deep pools edged by cattails and overhanging willows. Seventy percent of this amphibian’s geographic range has been lost to development, timber harvesting, mining and recreation.

    The American Bullfrog has also taken its toll on its western cousin. The American Bullfrog, an amphibian that can reach up to two pounds and eight inches in length, is native only to the central and eastern United States. American Bullfrogs were introduced to the west to control insects, and they continue to escape from pet owners and laboratories. Because of their voracious appetites and generalist diet, American Bullfrogs consume and out-compete California Red-legged Frogs. American Bullfrogs also carry the chytrid fungus, a fungus that has caused the extinction of over 100 amphibian species globally since 1970. Biologists have found California Red-legged Frogs that test positive for the chytrid fungus, but have not observed mass die-offs.

    SHASTA CRAYFISH
    The endangered Shasta Crayfish, a species endemic to northeastern California, depends on volcanic aftermath for its survival. It can be found in clear, cool lakes, rivers and streams where it can take shelter from predators in rocky volcanic rubble. This small, colorful invertebrate can live as long as a family pet: up to 10 to 15 years. There are only seven populations of the Shasta Crayfish left in California, all restricted to a few river and creek drainages in Shasta County. In addition to habitat loss, the Shasta Crayfish is losing out to the invasive Signal Crayfish, which matures and reproduces more rapidly.


    KERN PRIMROSE SPHINX MOTH
    The threatened Kern Primrose Sphinx Moth is found in only two locations: a privately owned ranch, and the Carrizo Plains National Monument, both at the southern end of the Central Valley. Until it was re-discovered on the Kern County ranch in 1974, this little diurnal (day-flying) moth was thought to be extinct. Agriculture-related habitat loss poses a major threat to the Kern Primrose Sphinx Moth, as does the growth of the non-native invasive filaree. Filaree, a weed introduced from Europe, provides nectar to adults. However, when female moths lay their eggs on filaree - and not on their host plant, the evening primrose - hatched larvae cannot feed and starve to death. Collection for commercial sale has also injured Kern Primrose Sphinx Moth populations. Between 1974 and the listing of the moth in 1980, it is known that 74 species were collected, including 54 slow-flying, easily- captured females. The 54 female moths taken represent about sixteen hundred eggs never laid.

    Featured Species: Kern Primrose Sphinx Moth (Euproserpinus euterpe), California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii), Shasta Crayfish (Pacifastacus fortis), Willow (Salix lasiolepis), Cattail (Typha sp.)

A graphite piece of art shows threatened and endangered corals and baby Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles.

Corals, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 14" x 18" (36 x 46 cm)

  • KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE
    The Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle is the most endangered sea turtle in the world. It is known for its unique synchronized nesting behavior, when large groups of female sea turtles emerge from the sea at once to lay their eggs on a single nesting beech. These nesting processions are described as “arribadas,” Spanish for arrival. In 1947, long before the species’ collapse, a massive arribada was captured on amateur video; it is estimated that in that event about 42,000 Kemp’s Ridleys emerged to nest near Rancho Nuevo Mexico. The Kemp’s Ridley is primarily found in the northern Gulf of Mexico’s shallow inshore and nearshore waters, where they hunt along the muddy and sandy ocean bottom. However, the sea turtle’s full range extends north along the Atlantic coast as far as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

    CORALS
    Corals are actually huge colonies of tiny, individual organisms called polyps: tiny relatives of sea anemones and jellyfish that have soft, translucent bodies and a hard “calicale” - protective limestone skeleton - at their base. Reefs form when a single polyp attaches to a rock or sea floor, and then clones itself thousands of times over, with each polyp connecting to its neighbors’ calicles. The bright colors of corals actually come from tiny zooxanthellae algae that the coral polyp hosts. Coral bleaching occurs when a coral polyp, stressed by something like temperature changes or pollution, expels its colorful algae companion. Corals around the world are at risk because of the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. In 2006, Elkhorn and Staghorn Corals of the Caribbean became the first coral species to be federally listed under the Endangered Species Act. In 2014, 20 coral species were additionally listed, although a National Marine Fisheries Service review of 82 coral species found that 56 species will likely be driven to extinction by warming ocean waters, disease and ocean acidification before the end of the century.

    Featured Species: Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata), Lobed Star Coral (Orbicella annularis), Mountainous Star Coral (Orbicella faveolata), Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra cylindricus), Rough Cactus Coral (Mycetophyllia ferox), Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis), Cantharellus noumeae

A carefully rendered graphite illustration shows Northern Spotted Owlets, and tortoise hatchlings.

Competition, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 11" x 14" (30 x 36 cm)

  • LICHEN BIOLOGY
    Lichens are formed by the symbiotic relationship of two to three different types of organisms: fungi, algae and cyanobacteria (once known as blue-green aglea). Fungi are the dominant partner, giving the lichen its shape. However, fungi cannot produce their own food; they depend on the photosynthetic activities of their symbiotic partner (or partners) to provide them with nutrients. In exchange, fungi provide water-dependent algae and cyanobacteria with the ability to survive all over the globe, in many different types of ecosystems - as long as the photosynthetic organisms are able to prepare for drought periods with occasional restorative rains or flooding.

    THE IMPORTANCE OF LICHENS
    With over 3,600 species of North American lichens known to science, lichens form a crucial component of biodiversity. These small, often overlooked symbiotic organisms are vital to the ecosystems they inhabit, serving as a food source for some species, especially during the harsh winter months; as nesting material for small mammals and at least 45 species of North American birds (including many species of hummingbirds); as a deterrent against soil erosion and as a nitrogen- fixing source for plants. Lichens are also the proverbial “canary in the
    coal mine” for many ecosystems. High lichen diversity is an indicator of ecosystem health. Because lichens absorb pollutants, the United States Forest Service monitors lichens to detect pollutants, map pollutant presence and evaluate pollutant impact. Lichen’s absorptive qualities also means that they concentrate radioactive fallout and pass the fallout up the food chain. In Alaska, lichen-eating caribou concentrated
    high levels of strontium-90 that they passed along to caribou-hunting Eskimos.

    PAINTED SNAKE COILED FOREST SNAIL & DESERT TORTOISE
    In the United States, numerous endangered and threatened species are linked to lichens within their ecosystem. The Painted Snake Coiled Forest Snail, a threatened snail that is found in a single cove in Tennessee, is believed to feed on lichens that grow on the limestone outcrops that make up its home. The decline of the now threatened Desert Tortoise has been caused in part by diseases linked to poor diet. The forage plants eaten by the Desert Tortoise contain higher levels of vital phosphorus and magnesium when growing in soils covered by microbiotic crusts, with Collema tenax, a cyanolichen commonly called Soil Jelly Lichen, playing an especially important role in crust composition. Microbiotic crusts are composed of tangled lichens, mosses and cyanobacteria, and are extremely vulnerable to disturbance; a single foot - or hoof - print can destroy a crust, and it can take years for the crust to return. Scientists believe that such soil crust destruction has occurred in the home of the Desert Tortoise.

    CAROLINA NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL & NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL
    The Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel, an endangered subspecies of the Northern Flying Squirrel that is found in the Southern Appalachians, feeds primarily on fungi and lichens. Its nests are composed almost entirely of Yellow Birch bark. In the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, the relationship between Northern Flying Squirrels and lichen is more pronounced. In the winter months, flying squirrels depend on lichen as both a food and a water source. Because of their dark pigmentation, the lichens preferred by squirrels absorb the sun’s radiation and melt snow. Lichens are also important in nest construction, sometimes doubling as a winter larder. Northern Flying Squirrels in turn contribute to the health of the forest by dispersing the spores of their mild-weather food source, underground mycorrhizal fungi. Trees require these mycorrhizal fungi for the absorption of food and nutrients. Northern Flying Squirrels also serve as a primary food source for the endangered Northern Spotted Owl, a species imperiled by the loss and fragmentation of its old-growth habitat. Northern Spotted Owls typically lay two eggs each year, and do not construct nests, instead creating a scrape in a hollow tree, cave or cliff crevice.

    THREATENED & ENDANGERED LICHENS
    There are two species of lichens that are themselves listed as endangered: Florida Perforate Lichen and Rock Gnome Lichen.

    Featured Species: Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus), Painted Snake Coiled Forest Snail (Anguispira picta),
    Rock Gnome Lichen (Gymnoderma lineare), Florida Perforate Cledonia (Cladonia perforata), Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)

A black and white drawing shows snakes, birds, flowers and a turtle found in longleaf pine forests.

Longleaf Pine, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 8" x 10" (20 x 25 cm)

  • Over thirty species found in Longleaf Pine forests are federally listed as endangered and threatened, including two Longleaf Pine keystone species. Keystone species play roles of great and unique importance, determining how an ecosystem functions and in some cases keeping that ecosystem from disappearing altogether.

    RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER & GOPHER TORTOISE
    The endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, the only woodpecker to build nests in living trees, creates nesting cavities that are used by 27 known vertebrate species. The threatened Gopher Tortoise is another ecosystem engineer, digging burrows that can be up to 40 feet deep. These cool shelters provide safe-haven for many other Longleaf species. One such species is the endangered Eastern Indigo Snake, a black, non- venomous snake that sits at the top of the food chain.

    EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE
    The Eastern Indigo Snake is the longest species of snake in the United States, growing up to 9 feet in length. The decline of the Eastern Indigo Snake occurred in part because of the practice of gassing Gopher Tortoise burrows to drive out rattlesnakes - a great irony considering that Eastern Indigo Snakes are believed to be immune to rattlesnake venom and eat Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes.

    LONGLEAF PINE FOREST RESTORATION & CLIMATE CHANGE
    Efforts are underway to restore lost Longleaf Pine forests, and with it the biological diversity they represent. Wildlife biologists released lab- raised Eastern Indigo Snakes into revived Longleaf habitat in Alabama in 2010. The National Wildlife Federation argues that Longleaf Pine forest restoration is essential because Longleaf Pines are uniquely adapted to withstand the impacts of climate change. Longleaf can grow in a range of conditions, from very dry to very wet, are more likely to withstand fire and extreme weather, and are more resilient against beetle infestations that will likely accompany changing conditions.

    Featured Species: Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon corais couperi), Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis), Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris)

A dramatic image depicts a bird ripping at the water hyacinth flowers to reach its apple snail prey.

Invasion, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 8" x 10" (20 x 25 cm)

  • The Everglades Snail Kite (now known simply as a Snail Kite) is one of three subspecies of Snail Kite, the only subspecies found within the United States. The endangered subspecies of Snail Kite is restricted to just a few watersheds in central and south Florida, where it can be seen hovering above freshwater marshes and the shallow vegetated edges of lakes in search of its primary food source, the Apple Snail. The kite catches the Apple Snail with its talons and uses its specially adapted beak to extract the freshwater mollusk from its delicately striped shell. Because the diet of the Snail Kite is so specific, its survival is closely tied to the health of the ecosystems that support the Apple Snail. Many of these marshes and lake have been either been drained for agricultural or urban development or flooded to depths that do not suit the Apple Snail. In some areas, nutrient-rich agricultural run-off fuels the dense growth of invasive plants like Water Lettuce and Water Hyacinth. These non-native plants make it difficult for the Snail Kite to see the Apple Snails as it forages. The Snail Kite and Apple Snail share their habitat with the American Alligator, a species that was listed as endangered from 1967 to 1987 due to hunting and habitat loss. Baby American Alligators measure just 6 to 8 inches when they hatch, and grow up to an average of 8.2 feet for females and 11.2 feet for males.

    Featured Species: Everglade Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus), Invasive Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Invasive Water Lettuce (Pistia sp.), American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), Apple Snail (Pomacea paludosa)

A dreamlike drawing shows baby at-risk birds gathering around delicately patterned unhatched eggs.

Siblings, Graphite on Paper, 2016, 8" x 10" (20 x 25 cm)

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife service lists 80 endangered and 15 threatened species of birds in the United States and its territories. This drawing shows chicks of six threatened and endangered bird species protecting the eggs of nine threatened and endangered bird species.

A labeled key identifies the species of bird in the illustration to the left.

  • 1 Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)

    2 & 11 Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis)

    3 California Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus)

    4 Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

    5 Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni)

    6 & 7 Mississippi Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pulla)

    8 Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

    9 Crested Caracara (Polyborus plancus audubonii)

    10 Light Footed Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris levipes)

    12 California Least Tern (Sterna antillarum browni)

    13 Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa)

    14 San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus mearnsi)

    15 California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

    16 Nevin’s Barberry (Berberis nevinii)