The Endangered Species Print Project Blog : Biodiversity & Art,

New Prints fromThe Endangered Species Print Project

2011-12-02T18:38:00.001-06:00

Emerging artists Aaron Johnson, Matthew Hilshorst and Justin Richel have created 3 crazy-colorful prints for The Endangered Species Print Project. Read on to feast your eyes, echo-locators, whiskers, sonar and antennae upon...

• The ferocious PHILIPPINE CROCODILE!

The Philippine crocodile is the world's most severely threatened crocodile species and one of the world's most endangered reptiles. Your purchase of this print will support the Mabuwaya Foundation, who rears hatchling crocs to be released into the wild. Who can resist hatchlings of any sort? Or Aaron Johnson's work which has been described as visceral, oozing, and intricate. Oh, and "explosive blasts of protoplasm."

• The marvelous LAKESIDE DAISY!

Back by popular demand it's Matthew Hilshorst, ESPP's resident plant painter, with his charming rendition of The Lakeside daisy. Although there are only 40 populations of this Great Lakes region flower left in the wild, conservation efforts are promising. Hilshorst's painting seems to capture that hope. Your purchase of this print supports the work of The Center for Plant Conservation. Matt's other print is almost sold out, so get this one while you can!

• The charming GUAM MICRONESIAN KINGFISHER!

Justin Richel's seemingly off-balance stack of 7 Guam Micronesian kingfishers conveys what he refers to as "...a sense of the precarious nature of existence." The existence of these beautiful birds is precarious indeed; Guam Micronesian kingfishers are now extinct in the wild. Your purchase of this print supports the successful Guam Micronesian Kingfisher Species Survival Plan® at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo.

Read More about these species, artists and organizations on our website.

And... just so you know, if you haven't black-Friday'ed and Cyber-Monday'ed your bank account away ESPP prints make rather lovely holiday gifts. Indeed ESPP prints are 2 gifts in 1! No we aren't giving away a set of ginza knives if you order in the next 10 minutes. When you give ESPP you give the art lover/animal nerd in your life a beautiful print and a donation to a conservation organization. Order by DEC. 16TH to ensure holiday delivery!

+ 2011 News from ESPP +

Great polar bear in the sky, it has been ice ages since the last ESPP newsletter! Here are some ESPP-related highlights since our last report...

• ESPP presentations have been seen and heard at Ryerson Woods, Azimuth Projects, and Root Division.

• ESPP prints were exhibited at Kristi Engel Gallery in LA, Root Division in San Francisco and the 2011 Wild Things conference in Chicago.

• ESPP's work for The Center for Biological Diversity's endangered species condoms has won 2 Addy Awards and was featured in the New York Times! The condoms have gone into multiple printings and to date over 450,000 of these things have been given away. Zoiks!

• ESPP's silverback Jenny Kendler currently has a solo exhibtion of her artwork at Ada Gallery in Richmond, alpha-male Christopher Reiger recently returned from a stint as Artist-In-Residence at The Everglades National Park, and queen bee Molly Schafer recently exhibited her illustration work at the Puget Sound Mycological Society.

And don't forget, 100% of the proceeds from The Endangered Species Print Project's limited-edition prints support the critically endangered species they depict. Editions are limited to the species' remaining population count.

Season's Greetings fromThe Endangered Species Print Project!

ESPP and an Everglades Slough Slog

2011-11-08T10:02:00.004-06:00

Everglades National Park; October 2011
For two weeks in October, I had the privilege of living in Everglades National Park, as a guest of the Artist In Residence In the Everglades (AIRIE) program. The residency provides artists and writers with an opportunity "to live and work in Everglades National Park in order to explore and identify the relationship between nature and art." That relationship is as messy as it is rich, and, having returned from Florida to San Francisco, California, I plan to reflect on its complexities by writing essays and creating new artworks.

An important part of the AIRIE mission is "to reach a wider public by calling attention to [the] unique and endangered part of our national heritage." To this end, I presented a lecture to a class from Florida International University Honors College. The presentation began with a survey of my artwork, but transitioned into a talk about the importance of biodiversity and the Endangered Species Print Project (ESPP) model. AIRIE and ESPP are both unconventional efforts to draw popular attention to the plight of our world's imperiled species and habitats. I hope to see more creative partnerships between such enterprises and better funded organizations with more substantial memberships (e.g., World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, The Sierra Club); these collaborations are more likely to reach the "wider public."

Local efforts are also vital, of course. The syllabus of "Everglades: from beginning to end?," the FIU class that I met with, is designed to introduce students to the natural history of the Everglades and "the political nature of local and regional environmental issues," but also to "read critically, to understand the interconnectedness of art, literature, and other disciplines." That's an exciting objective; professors Peter Machonis and Devon Graham, co-creators of the FIU class, should be cheered for their thoughtfulness and ambition.

After my lecture, I joined the professors and their students on a slough slog, an off-trail walk through "the river of grass." The students gamely sloshed through the sawgrass marshes and bald cypress stands; at day's end, I had the sense that being there, in the slow-moving water of "the glades," would fortify their relationship to the park lands in a way that no amount of classroom learning could have. Environmental education is a crucial element of a comprehensive conservation ethic, and creative, hands-on learning is the best way to acquaint our increasingly urban populace with the interconnectedness of all life.

ESPP in "A Live Animal "at Root Division

2011-07-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

If you can check out this show- it is well worth your time. Smart and beautiful images by some really interesting artists.

A Live Animal at Root Division in San Francisco, curated by Christopher Reiger and Selene Foster.

On psychic and cellular levels, what exactly occurs when a human interacts with another animal species? Despite our growing knowledge of biology and natural history, the answer remains something of a mystery. The 24 artists participating in A Live Animal consider such interspecific exchange, be it scientific, emotional, spiritual, or otherwise.

In his landmark essay collection Art As Experience, John Dewey writes “To grasp the sources of aesthetic experience it is [...] necessary to have recourse to animal life below the human scale. [...] The live animal is fully present, all there, in all of its actions: in its wary glances, its sharp sniffings, its abrupt cocking of ears.” Dewey's "live animal" exists in all of us, but is generally unacknowledged or denied. The proliferation of animal imagery in the arts, however, suggests that other species have much to teach us about our own nature.

There are those who would have us believe it is possible to exist in an Edenic reality where humans and other species live together in peace. Others would have us come to terms with our predatory nature and embrace our propensity for violence. The truth is more complex than either of those perspectives allow. Nonetheless, both speak to contemporary society’s grappling with the existential question, “How should we conceive of and conduct our relationships with other species, and also with one another?"

Surveyed as a whole, the artworks in A Live Animal reflect our inadequate understanding of how best to exist as part of a living, breathing, sensate environment. Individually, however, the works invite us to consider other species through a variety of lenses - mystical, scientific, and philosophical - and to formulate our own approaches to the "animal other." They challenge us to consider the “aesthetic experience” of Dewey's "live animal," one of genuine (if not necessarily sentimental) affinity with all states of being, in light of our current struggle to balance the interests of all parties, be they scaled, furred, feathered, or naked.

Opening Reception: Saturday, July 9, 7 to 10 pm
Exhibition Dates: July 7 - 30, 2011

Gallery Hours: Wednesdays - Saturdays, 2-6 pm (or by appointment)

AN EVENING OF PRESENTATION AND PERFORMANCES @ ODC THEATER
July 19, 2011, 7:30-9:30PM

Suggested donation

Endangered Species Print Project at Kristi Engle Gallery

2011-07-16T12:06:00.013-05:00

Endangered Species Print Project prints available as part of "Wicked Little Critter" at Kristi Engle Gallery in LA. ESPP will be showing along with our friend and colleague Christopher Reiger.

"Constellation (Canis Rufus)"

by Christopher Reiger

Wicked Little Critter
Curated by Anne Hars
July 9 - August 12, 2011
Reception: Saturday, July 9, 7-10pm
Artist Talk: TBD
Gallery hours: Thursday - Saturday 12 - 6pm & by appointment

Wicked Little Critters, curated by Anne Hars, brings together the work of 12 artists who address the human/animal relationship. Non-human critters in art, be they wild, house-pets, zoo residents, farm animals, or fable characters reflect ethical attitudes of privilege over our dominion. These works reveal among other things, how clearly we comprehend the minds of critters, and how much we project ourselves onto them. This show is dedicated to those wicked ones that continue to play a part in what it means to be human.

Stephanie Allespach
Krista Chael
Erin Cosgrove
Leeza Doreian
Chris Doyle
Matt Driggs
Dana Hoey
Mitsuko Ikeno
Ian Patrick
Hirsch Perlman
Christopher Reiger
Holly Topping

With special contributions by the Main Street Museum and the Seabiscuit Foundation Prints from the Endangered Species Print Project will also be available for purchase with all profits donated to Animal conservation organizations.

Kristi Engle Gallery devotes itself primarily to solo exhibitions of new works by contemporary artists. It is located in Highland Park, near the corner of Ave. 50 and York Blvd.

Sumatran Tiger Cubs Found in Threatened Forest

2011-05-10T09:36:00.001-05:00

Some very rare and darling tiger cubs were captured on video in a forest being rapidly cleared by the paper & pulp industries. At about 1 minute into the video the cubs are seen playing with a leaf.

From the World Wildlife Fund-

WWF camera traps recorded an astounding 12 tigers in just two months in the central Sumatran landscape of Bukit Tigapuluh, including two mothers with cubs and three young tiger siblings playfully chasing a leaf.

Bukit Tigapuluh was identified as a global priority Tiger Conservation Landscape by leading scientists and is one of six landscapes the government of Indonesia pledged to protect at the November 2010 tiger summit. Unfortunately much of it faces the looming threat of being cleared by the pulp and paper industry which includes companies like Asia Pulp and Paper/Sinar Mas Group and Barito Pacific.

WWF is among the prominent scientists and conservation groups urging the two companies and the Indonesian government to protect these forests that are home to tigers.

It is estimated that only around 400 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild. The Sumatran tiger and the other five surviving tiger subspecies – the Amur, Malayan, Bengal, Indochinese and South China – number as few as 3,200, compared to 100,000 a century ago. WWF is working to build the political, financial and public support to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.

You can support Sumatran tiger conservation through the purchase of ESPP's Sumatran tiger print.

Earth Day Party!

2011-04-20T14:18:00.001-05:00

In what promises to be a fun event, ESPP will be celebrating Earth Day with the folks from Karen Marie Salon in Chicago. Hors D'oeuvres by local favorite Irazu. And if regular wine isn't bougey enough for you there will be organic wine! We jest, everything is better organic.

There will also be a raffle with enticing prizes to benefit Alliance for the Great Lakes and um...massage chair!

Karen Marie is an eco-consious salon with upcycled interiors, eco-friendly products and practices and... Trisha Star, best hair-doer lady ever.

Two ESPP artists will be on the scene and featured ESPP prints will be available at a discounted price during the run of the show. A sampling of ESPP prints will be on display at the salon for the next month.

This Friday April 22nd at 6 pm. More details here.

ESPP at Wild Things 2011 Conference

2011-03-25T15:47:00.002-05:00

The Endangered Species Print Project was an exhibitor at the Wild Things 2011 conference in Chicago. The conference, held at the University of Illinois, Chicago on a snowy, March day, was organized by Audubon Chicago & The Habitat Project.

We sold ESPP prints and buttons at our lovely booth and raised funds for critically endangered species. Wild Things also helped us to reach a new and awesome audience and spread the good word about ESPP, our artists, and conservationists.

To top it off we met some really cool species. Mostly they were human, but a Red-tailed hawk and a Peregrine - Saker hybrid also stopped by to visit. We could not resist the chance to hang tough with such skilled predators.

Along with birds, we met bird people, including a knowledgeable young man representing the Chicago Ornithological Society who restored our hope in the youth of today.

A few falconers accompanied the aforementioned raptors and they had many interesting and wild stories to tell. We learned about the International Heritage Conservancy who work to conserve birds of prey along with the cultural heritage of falconry.

We also learned of a great undertaking by some very nice people to declare a few tracks of regional land as the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. We're crossing our talons that it works out. You can help by signing their petition here.

And our new friend Jason from the Chicago Park District was there - they are always looking for volunteers, you know, to help manage their wild spaces and parks. If you live in Chicago and want to spend some quality time outdoors here is an idea.

As you can see, loads of great people and projects were represented at the conference which focused on empowering citizen scientists, stewards and advocates with information, networking and good ideas.The keynote speaker was Curt Meine, conservation biologist and writer based in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. He discussed the powerful role of famed conservationist Aldo Leopold in the birth and evolution of ecosystem conservation.

Endangered Species Condoms Win Gold Addy Award

2011-03-24T15:54:00.000-05:00

The award winning package artwork was created by ESPP founders, Jenny Kendler and Molly Schafer. Package design by Lori Leiber.

The condoms are a project of the Center for Biological Diversity and aim to underline the impact human overpopulation has on other species. Visit the project site at www.endangeredspeciescondoms.com

Conservationists and Giant Tortoises Evicted From Silhouette Island!

2011-02-12T13:56:00.000-06:00

Very sad news... one of The Endangered Species Print Project's first partners The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles (NPTS) is being evicted without reason from Silhouette island, where they have spent 14 years conserving wildlife.

NPTS works to conserve many species found only on the Seychelles Islands including giant tortoises previously thought to be extinct. The NPTS giant tortoise conservation project is carried out under the patronage of non other than Sir David Attenborough. In August of 2010 Silhouette Island was declared a national park, a victory for NPTS.

Five months later not only is the conservation group being evicted- so are the giant tortoises! Yes that is correct: no wild tortoises allowed!

Please read on to find out more about the eviction, what it means for biodiversity in the Seychelles including ESPP species like the Seychelles sheath-tailed bat, and what you can do to help.

A Note from NPTS's Dr. Justin Gerlach:

Since 1997 the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles has been based on Silhouette island, one of the richest islands for biodiversity in Seychelles. This has been the base of our conservation projects for giant tortoise, terrapins and the Seychelles sheath-tailed bat. Over the past 14 years our projects on the island have been very successful, we managed to stop a major road development across the island and secured the island's future as a National Park.

Aldabrachelys arnoldi
Photo by John Pemberton
During the first week of December 2010 we received a letter from the management of Silhouette island telling us to leave the island by the end of the month! No coherent reasons have been given but this appears to be retribution for having caused problems to the management's development agenda in stopping the road from being built and in getting the National Park declared.

We have spent the past few weeks trying to get this changed and the Seychelles Ministry of Environment has been lobbied heavily by various international conservation organizations and private supporters. However, at the end of January a meeting between NPTS, the island management and the Ministry of Environment failed to result in any change other than a postponement of our eviction to the end of March.

This is obviously very traumatic and a great disappointment for our conservation projects. For the sheath-tailed bat it marks the end of population recovery. Since 1997 we have managed to increase the population from 18 to 40 bats and last year saw the first signs of them expanding into some of the areas they had abandoned in the past. From the end of March habitat management and roost protection will come to an end. We hope we leave the bat population stronger than it was 14 years ago and with a better chance of survival, but the future for the species is once again very uncertain.

The first 8 tortoises being removed from Silhouette Island

We take consolation from the fact that we have produced a new generation of 160 young tortoises which will live on for at least 100 years. In that time there may be an opportunity to establish pure populations of these tortoises; fortunately these animals live longer than short-term management and development perspectives.

-NPTS

TAKE ACTION:

Register your disapproval of the actions of the Islands Development company and the lack of support from the Ministry of Environment by writing to the Seychelles Minister for Environment.

1.) You can simply copy and paste the following statement, or create your own:

I strongly disapprove of the eviction of the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles from Silhouette island and your lack of protection to the island's flora and fauna. As Minister for Environment you should work to protect and conserve the unique and endangered biodiversity of the Seychelles.

2.) Email to: jmorgan@enrt.gov.sc
That was easy! To send by post Seychelles Minister for Environment, P.O. Box 166, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles.

SUPPORT NPTS:

You can still support the work of The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles through The Endangered Species Print Project by purchasing our Seychelles sheath-tailed bat print by artist Molly Schafer. Although NPTS will no longer be able to work to conserve the 40 remaining sheath-tailed bats they will use funds raised by ESPP to conserve other species on the Seychelles Islands.

Read more about the how the eviction will effect the endangered and endemic species of Silhouette here.

Please repost, facebook, and help spread the word!

Hi-Tech Poachers Decimating Rhinos in South Africa

2011-01-28T15:03:00.000-06:00

In 2010 more rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa than ever before. A total of 333 rhinos. Nearly one a day for an entire year!

Planet Earth does not have that many to spare. All but one of the remaining 5 species of rhino are very much endangered. Africa is home to both Black rhinos and White rhinos.

Population estimates for rhinos are as follows:

Black rhino: 4,240

White rhino: 18,000

Greater One-horned rhino: 2,800-2,850

Sumatran Rhino: 200

Javan Rhino: 40-50

If you find it surprising that rhino poaching has risen in the year 2010, let alone in a year that begins with a 2 you aren't alone. Wildlife poaching has developed with the times and technology. As reported in a recent World Wildlife Fund press release:

"Today's wildlife poachers are well coordinated and employ advanced technologies. Their sophisticated criminal networks use helicopters, night-vision equipment, veterinary tranquilizers and silencers to kill rhinos at night--attempting to avoid military and law enforcement patrols."

What do poachers do with the rhinos they kill?

They saw off the rhino's horn to sell. Usually they leave the rest of the body where it fell.

Who is buying this grisly prize?

Once again it is the "traditional Asian medicine" crowd. We don't mean to sound like a broken record here, but you guys are responsible for population decline in numerous species and well...people are still getting cancer and losing their "virility" so perhaps it's time to hang up the hat on this.

28 days into 2011 and 5 more rhinos have been lost to poachers.

Read more about rhinos at http://www.rhinos-irf.org/

ESPP supports the conservation efforts of the International Rhino Foundation in Asia with "Diminishing Returns" Christopher Reiger's print of the Javan rhino.

Spotlight on Endangered Species Condoms : Madagascar

2010-12-14T14:21:00.000-06:00

Some news from our friends at The Center for Biological Diversity, about the Endangered Species Condoms illustrated by Molly Schafer & Jenny Kendler of ESPP:

In the process of giving away 350,000 Endangered Species Condoms in 2010, the Center for Biological Diversity heard a lot of fun and interesting stories from the thousands of volunteer distributors who helped with our human overpopulation campaign. One of the best came from Karen Samonds in Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar -- 10,817 miles from our headquarters in Tucson, Ariz. Karen works with Sadabe, a nonprofit that "recognizes that human health and development depends on natural ecosystems, while the conservation of biodiversity depends on human decisions." Since one of the most important of those human decisions involves reproduction -- and the dynamic of our unsustainable population growth driving the planetary extinction crisis -- Karen distributed the condoms during the family-planning portion of a women's health workshop in Tsinjoarivo.

According to Sadabe's website, biodiversity-rich Madagascar is just the place for this sort of work: "We seek to develop novel and innovative ways to promote the coexistence of people and wildlife at Tsinjoarivo, and elsewhere where humans and wildlife come into conflict." Kudos to Sadabe for making that effort, and many thanks to Karen for making our condoms a part of such great work.

Right now, the Center is sending out 50,000 Endangered Species Condoms for volunteers to hand out on New Year's Eve as a fun and informative way to highlight the connection between human overpopulation and over-consumption, and the extinction of species. Learn more about Endangered Species Condoms, overpopulation and Sadabe.

Happy HOWLidays from The Endangered Species Print Project

2010-12-08T21:08:00.003-06:00

Forget the Naughty. This Season ESPP is Twice as Nice!

That's right, we've got 2 red wolves, 2 marine mammals, and 2 gifts in one. When you give ESPP you give the gift of art, along with a donation to an important conservation initiative.

Endangered Species Print Project Presents:
This December we have released the wolves! Our newest prints both depict the critically endangered Red wolf. Two gorgeous prints by two popular artists. How will you ever decide between them? There are only approximately 100 Red wolves remaining on our planet so help them out by buying a print. As with all ESPP prints, 100% of the purchase prices goes directly to conservation. Plus, the good karma will help you to makes Santa's "nice" list.

ESPP also recently released two fantastic under the sea prints, celebrating our love of marine mammals: the Vaquita, a mini porpoise, and the North Atlantic Right whale who weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 139,700 pounds! With a variety of artistic styles and species to choose from we have something for everyone (cool) on your list.

Read more about each of our new prints below...

Red Wolf prints by artists Christopher Reiger and Susan Jamison

The red wolf once occupied a range that extended over the forests, swamps, and coastal plains of the southern and eastern areas of the United States, as far west as Texas and as far north as New York. By 1980, the species was extinct in the wild. Today that number is up to 100! Both Reiger and Jamison's work articulates an understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Their ESPP prints convey the tenuous position of the Red wolf species. We've printed a highly limited edition of only 100 of each on our sustainable and luxurious bamboo paper. All the proceeds support Red wolf conservation and breeding programs at Point Defiance and Mill Mountain Zoos.

Vaquita print by artist Noah Scalin

Noah Scalin, of the popular blog and book Skull-a-Day, was inspired to work with arranged embroidery floss to depict the Vaquita, the Earth's smallest porpoise, after reading how entanglement in fishing nets is the leading cause of death for the species. His beautiful print is a limited edition of 250 and supports ¡Viva Vaquita!

North Atlantic Right Whale print by artist John Vilhauer

A quick survey of our under 13 audience confirmed that this happy-go-lucky whale is sure to bring a smile to the younger species on your holiday list...along with teaching the importance of biodiversity! The 2009 population count of North Atlantic right whales found only 438 whales. All proceeds from the sale of this whale go to The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.

100% of the proceeds from The Endangered Species Print Project's limited-edition prints support the critically endangered species they depict. Editions are limited to the species' remaining population count. To see more spectacular species head to http://endangeredspeciesprintproject.com

Happy Holidays from ESPP!

- Molly & Jenny

Release the Wolves!

2010-12-06T19:53:00.002-06:00

No time to write a long post now, but I have to let everyone know...our long awaited double-release of two different Red Wolf prints is here!

Artists Christopher Reiger (of Javan Rhino fame) and Susan Jamison both stepped to the Red Wolf plate and hit a home run. Come check out their gorgeous prints on our website, and get your paws on them before they're gone.

More info on these awesome prints and the most worthy organizations they support soon...

In the meantime: Who needs and Hannukah/Yule/Festivus present? Hint, hint. They want a print!

ESPP featured in The American Scholar

2010-12-01T19:25:00.001-06:00

The last issue of The American Scholar magazine featured and article on ESPP, entitled "Call of the Wild," and I wanted to share it with you all.

After years of exhibiting artwork in galleries and museums, Chicago-based artists Jenny Kendler and Molly Schafer decided last year to step outside those white-walled environments and directly support conservation of endangered species.

In their Endangered Species Print Project, the artists print animal images in quantities equaling the estimated number of individuals of that species in the wild.

For instance, no more than 45 Amur leopards are said to remain in Russia and China’s temperate forests, their sole habitat, and so Kendler and Schafer have made an edition of 45 prints. Everything earned from the sale of the prints is donated to an organization that works to save that specific species, in this case the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance, a coalition of 13 nongovernmental organizations dedicated to reducing the poaching and deforestation that threaten the species.

If less money goes to supporters of the more endangered species, they’ll create a second artwork of the same species once the first one sells out. So far they have raised more than $4,000 and donated to 11 organizations. Now they are expanding by lining up guest artists who will draw a variety of animals and plants, including the charismatic Vaquita, a miniature porpoise that lives in the Sea of Cortez in California. —Vanessa Schipani

The issue also included a thorough (and frightening) look at geo-engineering as a possible solution for climate change. You can pick up a copy, with it's great polar bear cover, at your newsstand. Thanks to Vanessa for the write-up!

Oh, and by the way, since the article was published, ESPP has raised it's total funds earned for conservation to almost $5,600 and the number of organizations we're supporting to 17!

Whales 2010: Inspiring a New Decade of Conservation

2010-11-08T12:18:00.005-06:00

If you're in California, ESPP would like to let you know about the upcoming conference Whales 2010: Inspiring a New Decade of Conservation - The American Cetacean Society's 12th International Conference. The conference is in beautiful Monterey, Califonia and runs from November 12-14, 2010. ACS invites you to join a unique gathering of scientists, policy makers, and conservationists from all over the world to share current status, research, trends, and projects relating to cetaceans and their habitats.

Purchase a Vaquita print to support conservation here!

If you make it, please be sure to visit with the wonderful folks at ¡Viva Vaquita! who will have some of artist Noah Scalin's Vaquita prints for sale to support their conservation efforts of the charming little porpoise. ACS also encourages you to enjoy the local delights, and enjoy whale watching, hiking, or kayaking Friday on the Monterey Peninsula.

We're so jealous!

New Milestone in Study of Snow Leopards

2010-10-21T14:25:00.001-05:00

A team of wild cat researchers from Panthera and the Snow Leopard Trust were recently successful in collaring their twelfth snow leopard, for study and tracking 6,500 feet high in South Gobi, Mongolia’s Tost Mountains. The collaring of the female cat is historic in that the South Gobi team is now monitoring twice the number of cats ever monitored in any previous study of the species.

This most recent snow leopard, temporarily named F4 until the team chooses a name, is a female snow leopard weighing 81 pounds. The GPS-satellite collar she was fitted with will allow scientists to track her movements for the next 20 months, giving insight to the information needed to save the elusive wild cats from extinction. There are believed to be between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards remaining in the wild today.

The collaring of “F4” is particularly exciting because the researchers believe she is the mother of another nearly grown female that was fitted with a collar just a few months ago. The team has determined that F4 is still travelling with her cub, so this will be the first time scientists are able to learn how snow leopards rear their cubs and prepare them to leave home to establish their own territory.

“Following a mother-daughter pair and seeing when the younger female leaves home and where she establishes her own home range is an exciting possibility,” said Panthera Snow Leopard Director Dr. Tom McCarthy. “This collaring, and the ones before it, has helped us reach a new level of understanding about these iconic cats; an understanding that could help us bring them back from the brink of extinction.”

The project in Mongolia is a collaboration between Panthera and the Snow Leopard Trust. For more information on this study and to follow F4 and the other cats, visit http://www.panthera.org/species/snow-leopard.

Image & video courtesy Panthera and the Snow Leopard Trust

Eco-razzy: American Snack Consumers

2010-10-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Really? Seriously? A major American manufacturer of snack chips goes all out of its way to produce a biodegradable bag to package it's snacks in, and Americans force it off the market? Why would they do such a thing?

Well because the bags are noisy. The crinkly sound hurts their wimpy little ears. Seriously what. the. hell. America?

So now, Frito-Lay will return to packaging made of plastic for five of the six varieties of SunChips. It will keep the biodegradable and recyclable bags for the original, plain flavor. The flavor most favored by earthy, crunchy types whose tolerance for noise produced by planet-friendly bags is apparently higher than those who favor the Spicy Chipotle flavor.

According to the Frito-Lay website the bags are made from plant based materials and are designed to compost in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile. That is awesome!

Apparently, it's not awesome enough for most consumers to put up with... sound. Hey, if you need to snack in secret that is an issue all your own, please don't take it out on the planet.

I admit, I tried the SunChips biodegradable bag and it is loud, laughably so. But that is all I did - laugh and say "this bag is crazy!" I didn't go to YouTube to post a video complaint. However many consumers did complain. Sales declined each month the bags were on the market and Frito-Lay felt forced to return to plastic.

At least, until they can come up with an amazing bag that biodegrades in 14 days and is quiet enough for America. Frito-Lay says they remain committed to finding a more popular sustainable bag solution.

Would you rather have your snacks in noisy bags or live on litter covered planet landfill? Hmmm, I guess you could always eat the chips from a bowl... and still hear the TV.

New Print Released : Noah Scalin's Vaquita

2010-10-08T12:47:00.001-05:00

We're excited to share our newest print with you all --- the gorgeous Vaquita print by artist Noah Scalin. (Be sure to click the image to see if full size.) Noah has been a long time friend of mine, and I love the beautiful piece that he created for ESPP.

Our first photographic/object-based piece, Noah's print was made by carefully arranging tangled threads to form the shape of the little porpoise. He decided to create the print in this way because the main threat to the Vaquitas (of which only an estimated 250 remain) are the nearly invisible gillnets which fisherman use in the Gulf of California. Vaquitas, being mammals that need to breathe air, become entangled in these nets and drown. It is estimated that between 39 and 84 individuals die this way each year, an obviously unsustainable toll on the naturally small population.

Noah's piece, which existed only for a short time, was intended to reflect the tenuous existence of these charming creatures that live in the shallows and lagoons of the Gulf of California. Please also check out Noah's website and his extremely popular project Skull-a-Day, which spawned a super cool book, and even landed him on Martha Stewart's show! Who knew the Martha was into skulls?

Noah's print benefits the wonderful organization ¡Viva Vaquita!, which is working at full tilt to change the situation in the Gulf --- in a way that will be beneficial to local fisherman, while also saving the Vaquita from the brink of extinction. Please check out our site to purchase a print. As always, 100% of the purchase price will support this great organization's work.

Endangered Strangers: Northern Abalone

2010-10-06T09:47:00.002-05:00

Do you think I'm pretty?

No?

Then why you keep wearing me as jewelry?

I is not wacky pendant.

I is an animal, just like you.

I am the Northern abalone.

And you...
you totally bought that necklace at an art fair, didn't you?

One of the most primitive groups of molluscs on the planet, abalone have remained relatively unchanged for about 500 million years. Northern abalone are found along the Pacific coast of America from Sitka Island, Alaska, in the north, to Turtle Bay, Baja California in the south. They feed on red algae when they are free roaming infants and settle into the brown algae and a sedentary life as adults. I'm sure we can all relate to that. Abalone use their rough tongue-like radulas to scrape algae off of rocks. They also catch phytoplankton as it drifts by. Yum!

For hundreds of years abalone were harvested for their meat and decorative shells with a limited impact on their population. Then... horror movie music played, masked scuba divers swarmed the abalones secret hideouts, reaching out their creepy rubber-gloved hands, devastating the abalone's numbers and leaving their children homeless and motherless and wait, what happened? The invention of scuba diving! Scuba diving led to the over-harvesting of abalone, whose previously unreachable, remote hang outs kept them safe from human's insatiable greed.

Today there is a total ban on harvesting Northern abalone in British Columbia and partial bans exist elsewhere. Poaching is a continued threat. A National Recovery Strategy and National Recovery Action Plan for the species have been created in Canada, a superior country where I would like to live.

Tiger Tuesday: Last Tiger Strongholds Identified

2010-09-28T15:53:00.003-05:00

Scientists have tallied up a group of the last remaining 'strongholds' of wild tigers, 42 areas across Asia, where the breeding females of the extremely rare big cats live. They estimate that around 1000 breeding females of various tiger sub-species inhabit these areas, which are the last hope for wild tigers' survival.

The last Bali Tiger was recorded in 1937

Of the former 580,000 square miles (1.5 million sq kilometers) of habitat suitable for tigers, wild tigers now remain in only 7%. The 'strongholds' encompass only half of one percent of tiger's former range. As readers of this blog know, habitat loss, and especially poaching for illegal wildlife trade and "traditional" medicines are behind this terrible decline.

The Caspian Tiger became extinct in the late 1950's

These 42 newly identified sites hold 70% of the worlds remaining tigers, which number less than 3,500 in total.

Joe Walston, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia program says, "In the past, overly ambitious and complicated conservation efforts have failed to do the basics - prevent the hunting of tigers and their prey. [...] Efforts need to focus on securing these sites as the number one priority for the species."

So, at least for our tiger friends, 42 really is the answer to the ultimate question of Life, the Universe, and Everything...

Our source at LiveScience.com concludes with this practical summation:

The scientists calculated the total required annual cost of effectively managing these strongholds at $82 million, which included the cost of law enforcement, wildlife monitoring, getting the community involved in their protection and other factors. Although that might seem a large price tag, $47 million of that is already provided by the governments of the areas where the sites are located, supplemented by international support, the researchers said. The $35 million shortfall is needed to intensify proven methods of protection and monitoring.

"$35 million is less than what [New York Yankees baseball player] Alex Rodriguez made last year in salary and endorsements," Robinson told Our Amazing Planet. "There's quite a bit of money floating into protected areas at this time - the shortfall is not huge." Robinson noted he was recently in talks in Washington, D.C., with representatives of some multilateral government agencies to talk about this funding for tigers.

Well, tigers get my endorsement. What about yours? If so, please be sure to let your friends and family know about the danger of extinction that faces the world's wild tigers today.

The Javan Tiger became extinct in the 1980's. Let's not add to this list.

New Print: John Vilhauer's North Atlantic Right Whale

2010-09-23T13:46:00.003-05:00

Who could resist this charming print by local Chicago artist and designer John Vilhauer? (My favorite part is the barnacle eyebrow. I want a pair of my own.)

This whimsical print benefits North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, a fabulous organization that we are so pleased to be working with. NARWC works to eliminate human-caused right whale deaths in critical habitats and migration corridors, to protect right whale habitats, and to assess factors that reduce reproductive success of right whales.

It's not too early to be thinking about gifts for the holidays, and if I do say so myself, an ESPP print and it's corresponding donation to NARWC would be a great gift for a special child or whale fancier in your life.

(Oh, and we're on a bit of a sea mammal kick, so keep your head under the water for our upcoming print. People say don't hold your breath, but in this case do. It won't be long.)

The North Atlantic right whale print is available here. Read more about this amazing and endangered species here.

Tiger Tuesday Twice in One Tuesday!

2010-09-21T14:37:00.004-05:00

Panthera & the BBC's Natural History Unit have worked together to document the first evidence that tigers can live and breed at extremely high altitudes.Tigers, normally found in jungle habitats, were discovered more than 13,000 feet high in the Himalayas. The discovery could make it easier to create a conservation corridor, linking populations across Asia.We wonder if the tigers have moved up to new altitudes due to habitat loss, or if they have been there all along?

Tiger Tuesday!

2010-09-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

This is the 2nd in our series Tiger Tuesday leading up International Tiger Day on September 26th, 2010. There are approximately 3,200 tigers remaining in the wild.

Image © Wildlife Checkpoint Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand

Illegal trade in tigers and tiger parts is one of the main reasons the species is endangered. Tigers are used throughout Asia (most heavily in China) for traditional medicines or tonics including tiger bone wine and aphrodisiacs. Trade in tigers is prohibited by the Convention in Trade of Endangered Species, or CITES.

The illegal wildlife trade is a gruesome, multi-billion dollar business run by organized criminal syndicates. This year National Geographic published The Kingpin an exposé of the world's most notorious wildlife dealer. His future plans include farming captive tigers for parts.

Recent news items on the illegal tiger trade include the discovery, last month, of a tiger cub in a suitcase at a Thai airport. The cub was tranquilized and hidden among stuffed tiger toys (hmm...well if it worked for E.T...). Last week authorities uncovered a wildlife bone trade network in Vietnam, where an estimated 30 tigers remain in the wild.Tiger bones, sadly, were among the bones confiscated.

At tiger farms in China, like Xiongsen Tiger and Bear Mountain Village tigers jump through hoops, kill livestock, and crowd too many into a pen for human amusement before being made into the popular tiger bone wine- which can be purchased in the gift shop. According to this NY Times article the park also sold tiger steaks in their restaurant until 2 years ago.

Some suggest that such tiger farms- where tigers are bred to be used for their parts- similar to farming cattle- can fulfill the demand for products like tiger bone wine while leaving wild populations untouched. The suggestion is unnecessarily macabre, offering to sacrifice one life to save another.

Here I must quote from a great article by Elizabeth Stinson I stumbled across on the blog Genetics & Literature:

"Instead of exacerbating the destruction of an endangered species, people should be advocating to build the species back to a healthy level....what these tiger farms fail to see is that they are not solving the environmental problem of tiger extinction, they are allowing society to believe that this kind of solution is justifiable."

If trade in farmed tiger parts is legalized it will rekindle the demand which has diminished since China's 1993 ban on trade in tiger parts. Legalizing trade in farmed parts provides cover for trade in wild tiger parts as the two cannot easily be distinguished.

Infact, legalizing tiger farms would increase demand and could increase poaching pressure on wild populations. Poaching is less expensive than farming and poachers would be able to offer the "more potent" wild tiger parts for less.

The only way to conserve the tiger is to protect it's habitat, it's prey (which have been over hunted), and strengthen anti-poaching efforts. Farmed tigers would not be useful in reintroduction efforts, many of them suffer from years of inbreeding . Captive carnivores returned to the wild often lack fear of humans which could end up causing their own death or human casualties.

- Much of the above info was sourced from WWF's Tiger Facts and Fallacies

Renegade Craft Fair

2010-09-20T16:04:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported ESPP at Renegade Craft Fair! We raised a significant amount of money for critically endangered species and met lots of great people.

Check out our booth mates Shapes & Colors. They sew and and screen fantastic pillows, bags, and more all made from organic cotton, linen, and hemp using water based, non-toxic inks.

Thanks to ESPP artist John Vilhauer for taking photos. John's print will be released later this week.! Stay tuned.

Tiger Tuesday!

2010-09-14T11:45:00.090-05:00

September 26th, 2010 is International Tiger Day and we're gearing up here at ESPP with a series of Tiger Tuesday posts. Today we'll be sharing some awesome camera trap images with you and asking you to take one small action to help international efforts to save the species.

image: Wildlife Conservation Society

FACT

With an estimated 3,000 tigers remaining there is a very real chance that the species will go extinct in your lifetime. Shockingly there are more tigers in private holdings in the state of Texas than there currently are in the wild!

ACT

This fall world leaders will meet to negotiate a plan to prevent the extinction of the wild tiger, it is critical that we make sure the United States shows leadership on this issue and gives tiger conservation its full backing. You can easily tell Congress to Support the Global Conservation Act of 2010 here.

RELAX

And view the following video and images...

From World Wildlife Federation: "Close up footage of a tiger and two cubs, the first time that WWF has recorded evidence of tiger breeding in central Sumatra in what should be prime tiger habitat. The images have led to renewed calls for stronger measures against poaching and the rapid deforestation of tiger landscapes on the Indonesian island."

An Amur (Siberian) Tiger at Hunchun National Nature Reserve

image: Hunchun National Nature Reserve

Sumatran Tiger

image: Fauna & Flora International/DICE

An Indian Tiger in Bandhavagargh National Park, India

Cooling off in a watering hole in Bandhavgarh National Park, India

image: Michael Nichols

Renegade Craft Fair This Weekend!!!

2010-09-10T22:47:00.000-05:00

ESPP at Renegade Craft Fair

2010-08-17T10:25:00.001-05:00

Just an early warning that The Endangered Species Print Project will be at Renegade Craft Fair Chicago on September 11 & 12. We will be selling ESPP prints along with extra special ESPP items that will only be available at the fair. Renegade Craft Fair will feature over 300 indie artists and artisans and promises to be a good time. If you are in the area be sure to stop by our booth!

2010 is the Year We Should Have Finally Made a Change

2010-08-04T16:46:00.000-05:00

EDGE has updated their site to include a new section on coral reefs. The page begins with a short film narrated by a girl living in the year 2065. She learns of coral reefs from her grandfather, as they have sadly not existed in her life time. Luckily this is a fictional account and there still time to ensure it remains so, but only if we act. As the grandfather of the film states "2010 is the year we should have finally made a change."

I can't think of a better(worse) catalyst for that change than the 2010 gulf of mexico oil spill.

EDGE estimates 1-3 million species of plants and animals live on coral reefs. Climate change is the clear and present danger to coral reefs. EDGE suggests that reducing atmospheric CO₂ to below 350 ppm will help to slow climate change and it's effects on the reefs.

Watch the film and learn more here.

Not Gone Yet: Horton Plains Slender Loris Rediscovered

2010-07-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

© C Mahanayakage

The Horton Plains slender loris (Loris tardigradus nycticeboides) was thought to have gone extinct in 1939 when its Sri Lanka forest habitat was clear-cut to make way for tea plantations.

The Zoological Society of London lead as expedition to find the animal after a 2002 encounter. Their research included 1,000 nocturnal surveys in 120 forest areas. ZSL was able to both photograph and measure the loris who is 20 centimeters long.

The Horton Plains slender loris remains incredibly rare. Researches estimate that 60 -100 individuals remain. While not extinct, this loris remains one of the most endangered primates.

ZSL conservation biologist Craig Turner listed conservation and restoration of the remaining montane forest, which makes up less than 1% of the land area of Sri Lanka, as key to the species' survival.

Read more about the rediscovery here.

Announcing a special triple print release to celebrate ESPP's anniversary!

2010-07-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

The tattooed Sumatran Tiger, theelegant Whooping Crane and the totally awesome Moldavian Meadow Viperburst onto the ESPP scene today! Sink your claws into our three newprints before they disappear at EndangeredSpeciesPrintProject.com.

The Moldavian Meadow Viper print by ESPP founder Molly SchafersupportsThe Hungarian Meadow Viper LifeProject, which is keepingthese amazing snakes from the brink of extinction.

The Sumatran Tiger print byMaine artist Alison Wheeler benefits the Sumatran Tiger Trust,which works to preserve these gorgeous beasts in the wild, where onlyabout 350 remain.

The Whooping Crane print by ESPP founder Jenny Kendler helpsfundOperation Migration. You may have already heard of this amazing organization, which releases captive-bredWhooping Cranesinto the wild, and teaches them to migrate using ultralight aircraft!

Excitingly, ESPP's newprints are on a gorgeous and sustainable, art-quality bamboo paper!

Asyou know, 100%of the proceeds from ESPP print sales go directly to front-linesconservation, soplease be generous and purchase some for your family and friends!BecauseESPPprints are limited editions based on the populations of thespecies depicted, some editions are running low already. Be surenot to miss out!

Can you believe the Endangered Species Print Project is already 1 year old?

Thanks for all your support over the past year!

- Molly Schafer & Jenny Kendler

Eco-razzy : Person on my street whose sprinkler flooded the sidewalk

2010-07-08T16:25:00.004-05:00

Yes, person on my street whose sprinkler flooded the sidewalk and sprinkler users everywhere we agree with this mouse lemur: You Suck!

A newly described species of mouse lemur (Microcebus mittermeieri).

Photo by: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic Society Graphics by: The Endangered Species Print Project

Not only did your flooding of the sidewalk with a 2 inch pool of water under a constant sprinkler shower make it rather difficult for me to walk past your house, in an attempt to avoid the waterworks, I rolled my ankle, spraining it badly. That's right, I hope the cement in front of your home has been growing/blooming/whatever you thought it would do if you watered it because right now I'm wearing an ankle brace on my stretched tendons and can't run or bike for 3 weeks. I repeat: You Suck!

As I sat on your neighbor's stairs watching your sprinkler sprinkle a cascade of water onto your porch, the resulting waterfall flowing down your front steps, the growing pool on the sidewalk, a squirrel first drinking then sort of paddling through it, I was flooded with anger.

Outraged not only for my own sorry situation ( a foot that could not support my weight let alone wade up your the steps to kick your door in and break your ankles, err, ask you politely to turn of your sprinkler and begin bailing out the side walk) but for our very planet.

Plenty of humans lack clean water to drink, to cook or bathe with, yet sprinkler users everywhere see fit to water cement. In fact water-borne diseases from unsanitary water are one of the leading causes of death world wide. Water diverted for human use leaves marshes, bogs, woodlands and all the flora and fauna who reside within diminished. Despite these unsettling realities, according to the EPA:

"An American family of four can use 400 gallons of water per day, and about 30 percent of that is devoted to outdoor uses. More than half of that outdoor water is used for watering lawns and gardens. Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day."

Water is a finite resource, sprinkler users, use it wisely and use it sparingly. How about a quick spritz with the hose instead of hours of running a sprinkler while you watch TV, or hey- just wait for it to rain! Better yet try planting native plants that are adapted to your local climate and will thrive without much care (more time for TV), or try xeriscaping.

The cool thing about where we live- it's a planet that can take care of itself! The natural world known as planet Earth can nourish what grows on it if humans would just get out of it's way. And P.S. it's the only planet we've got.

For more tips on water-smart yards visit the EPA's Watersense site. Please.

Using a sprinkler is a waste of water even for a garden, but for sidewalks, porches, non-living objects of every variety it is a goddess-forsaken tragedy. :P

Baby Guam Micronesian kingfishers increase world population to 134

2010-07-07T17:09:00.002-05:00

A very rare Guam Micronesian kingfisher chick is fed using a hand puppet at Lincoln Park Zoo. All 134 members of the severely endangered species live in zoos. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune / June 17, 2010)

Two baby Guam Micronesian kingfishers were recently born at Chicago's own Lincoln Park Zoo. Molly and I have been lucky enough to see these charming little birds in person in their bird house. Unfortunately, a zoo is the only place you'll see these rare birds, as they are sadly extinct in the wild. The story of how most of Guam's endemic birds became extinct or extinct in the wild is a strange one that starts with WWII.

Molly and I were invited some time ago to write an article for the awesome art blog Bad at Sports, which explains the very strange circumstances surrounding the kingfisher's current endangerment. You can read the full article here.

The eventual goal of this captive breeding population, (what we think should be the goal of all captive breeding programs) is to release the kingfishers back into the wild...though that may be far in the future.

Let's hope that one day these little guys again grace the waterways of beautiful Guam. Supporting their recovery is the least we can do at this point...so keep checking back with ESPP, as there's a Guam Micronesian kingfisher print in the works.

Sea Dragons : Life

2010-07-05T00:33:00.000-05:00

Check out this completely magical video of these completely magical creatures of the Australian ocean: Sea Dragons!

Sadly, sea dragons are under threat from run-off pollution and from collectors who take them both for their exotic beauty and for 'alternative' medicine. We don't need to tell you, lovely readers, that chomping a beautiful wild creature is the wrong way to go about curing what ails you. Luckily though, sea dragons are now protected by the Australian government.

We hope you enjoy this enchanting video from the BBC's Life series. (...of course, it's narrated by the inimitable D. Attenborough!)

The Big Caption

2010-06-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Recent posts to one of our new favorite blogs, The Big Caption, related to the horrendous nightmare also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Big Caption uses typography to make jokes and statements.

First National Park Born Condor Chick Poisoned by Lead Shot

2010-06-25T09:24:00.002-05:00

The famous first baby condor to have been born inside a National Park in over 100 years had to be brought in by biologists, and taken to intensive care, due to lead poisoning. The birds are being treated via a process known as chelation to remove the lead from their blood, which would otherwise kill them. The chick and his father were likely poisoned by lead shot from a carcass they ingested.

The NRA is currently fighting proposed bans on lead shot --- which poisons many species of wildlife, as well as human beings. To be blunt, and without cursing, I cannot possibly understand why the NRA and certain hunters insist on using lead shot, when steel shot is available. It seems to be a case of being worried that they can't budge an inch --- but it is patently obvious that lead shot is incredibly detrimental to wildlife and the environment. (As well as routinely poisoning hunters who can't possible get all the minute fragments of lead out of their kills.)

Image courtesy of our friends at the Peregrine Fund

Of course, many hunters are also great advocates for wildlife and conservation, so it will be interesting to see how this schism will play out. Let's hope we win, as it will be a great victory for the health of people, animals and the environment!

The Los Angeles Zoo is currently treating both father and chick. Let's keep our fingers crossed for them, as only 180 of these soaring giants remain in the wild.

It is currently unknown whether or not the mother has also been poisoned, though efforts are underway in Pinnacles National Monument to trap her, in order to test her lead levels.

You can support these magnificent birds through the great work of the Peregrine Fund by purchasing Barnaby Whitfield's beautiful California Condor print for ESPP.

Bumble Bees: The Next Endangered Species?

2010-06-24T11:47:00.001-05:00

In an effort to reduce the decline of bumblebees The Society for Invertebrate Conservation and University of California at Davis entomologist Robbin Thorp formally petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the insect — called a Franklin's bumblebee — under the Endangered Species Act.

Image copyright Peter Schroeder

Franklin's bumble bee (Bombus franklini) on California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

Twelve years of surveys conducted by Dr. Robbin Thorp clearly show that this species has declined steadily. The decline has been so severe that only a single Franklin’s bumble bee was observed in 2006 and none since.

“Over the last 12 years I have watched the populations of this bumble bee decline precipitously,” said Dr. Robbin Thorp, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis. “My hope is this species can recover before it is too late.”

The cause of the catastrophic decline of Franklin’s bumble bee is hypothesized to be an escaped exotic disease that may have spread from commercial bumble bee colonies to wild bumble bee populations. Research in Dr. Sydney Cameron’s lab at the University of Illinois is underway to test this hypothesis. Other threats that may be harming Franklin’s bumble bee populations include habitat loss and degradation, climate change, pesticide use, and invasive plant species.

The group is preparing petitions to protect other bumblebee species as well. The Associated Press reports that bees pollinate about 15 percent of all crops grown in the nation, worth $3 billion.

Visit The Xerces Society for more info on this petition and bee conservation. The full petition is available here.

New Monitor Lizard gives Scientists Double-X-Rated Surprise

2010-06-22T12:49:00.002-05:00

A Varanus bitatawa lizard on its home island of Luzon in the Philippines.

Photograph by Joseph Brown

Scientists in the Philippines recently discovered a new species of giant Monitor lizard, as long as a human being. The new species was a surprise for several reasons: First, it is unusual for such a large species to have gone undiscovered (turns out this "incredibly secretive" lizard was hiding in the trees!), and secondly, the new species has a double penis. Yep, that's right. Two wangs.

This species with it's peculiar penis is related to the famous Komodo Dragon, but unlike it's gnarly relative known for biting prey with its bacteria filled mouth and returning to their bloated corpses to feast days later (yum) --- the Varanus bitatawa is a gentle vegetarian. What a nice fellow.

However, this gentle giant lizard is most likely in severe peril. The Philippines is one of the most heavily deforested areas on the planet, so there may not be much time to learn about this amazing species.

Forests continue to be cut down in the Philippines due to economic inequality, lack of government regulations, lack of political will, and corruption. It is hoped that international pressure (perhaps, via REDD) could slow or stop the devastation of the 5% of these forests that remain. These rain forests, rich in biodiversity, no doubt still harbor many more surprises!

The Fellowship of the Whale

2010-06-17T10:49:00.000-05:00

The time is near for the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting to vote on a proposal to legalize commercial whaling. In fact, it's only days away and the vote could go either way. We've pondered the pros and cons of this proposal before. Also known as the "whaling compromise" it proposes to legalize commercial whaling for the first time in 30 years in exchange for reducing the number of whales killed each year. According to the IWC even with the global ban on whaling an estimated 2000 whales a year fall victim to unregulated whaling.

Alarmingly, some IWC members may abstain from voting on the proposal which allows killing of endangered species-the Sei whale and the Finback whale. There has been a huge global outcry against this proposal, only 30 years after the hard fought battle to ban commercial whaling in the first place.

From our friends at Avaaz:
After the global ban was first implemented on commercial whaling, the number of whales killed each year plummeted from 38,000 per year to just a couple of thousand. It's a testament to the power of humanity to move forward. As we move to confront the other crises of the modern age, let's cherish this legacy of progress -- by joining together now to protect our majestic and intelligent neighbors on this fragile planet.

An amazing piece Flights, Girls, and Cash Buy Japan Whaling Votes in the Sunday Times uncovers that Japan has been using cash, development aid, and yes prostitutes to buy the pro-whaling votes of IWC members in African, Asian, Pacific and Caribbean states.

Reporters posing as lobbyists offered to buy the anti-whaling votes of IWC members. Their offers were repeatedly weighed against the aid and gifts promised or already bestowed upon them by Japan. Most had marginal or no interest in whaling. The Sunday Times piece quotes the chief fishing policy adviser to the Marshall Islands as saying the only reason for the Marshall Islands pro-whaling position is because of the financial aid from Japan.

Japan even has landlocked countries believing that whales are threatening their country's food supply. This silly claim is further proof that Japan's "scientific" whaling is a farce.

Since this is a blog and we like to express our personal opinions along with the facts, I'll update you on mine. Although I can see the logic in the whaling compromise and it's potential for conservation, at the 11th hour I must cast my vote to uphold the ban on commercial whaling. I don't trust policy makers enough to hold whale hunters to the proposed quotas, especially after reading the Sunday Times piece. There is already so much illegal killing with the ban in place, I don't believe legalizing whaling will reduce illegal harvesting. I'd like to hope that something like that could work but today at least for, I have little hope for humanity's ability to restrain itself from annihilating itself along with the planet. You can add your name along with 681,289 (at the time of this post) others to a global petition to uphold the ban on commercial whaling here. That number, at least, is hopeful.

You can read what Cristian Maquieira, Chairman of the IWC has to say in defense of the new proposal here.

This post title is borrowed from a PBS documentary by the same name, The Fellowship of the Whales. Watch it here.

Endangered Strangers: The Clouded Leopards

2010-06-16T15:44:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I have the longest canine teeth of any modern carnivore

Photo: Alain Compost/WWF-Canon

And I'm prettier than all of them too
I don't make a big deal out of it or anything
Me strong, sexy, silent type

Unless you push me...

I'm the Clouded leopard

Little is known about the clouded leopards, medium size wildcats from the forest of Asia. They are excellent climbers. No really- they are able to climb upside down, on the underside of a tree branch, and hang from their hind feet! Their tail can grow up to 3 feet long, the same length as their body.

The Clouded leopard has the longest upper canine teeth for it's skull size of any modern carnivore. It's jaw and skull evoke primitve saber-tooth cats and in fact, Clouded leopard skulls are unlike those of any other cat living today.

In 2007 the Borneo Clouded Leopard was declared to be a separate species. Formerly considered to be one of the now 4 sub-species of Clouded leopard, the declaration was made after a study comparing coat patterns and coloration. Researchers found the leopards on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra are markedly different from animals found on the Southeast Asian mainland. Genetic testing was also done. Researchers estimate that the two species diverged approximately 1.5 million years ago due to geographical isolation.

Lonesome G's Tortoise Tips : Picking up Litter

2010-06-15T11:11:00.006-05:00

Here are some interesting facts. 28% of the world's 'litter' is made up of cigarette butts, and just two of these babies can kill all the microorganisms in a liter of water in 48 hours. Yikes.

Plastic bags can trap and kill animals or end up in their stomachs, often causing death. And we all know about how birds can get caught in 6-pack rings.

I'm also wondering how much recycling never makes it into a recycling bin.

So, litter...what can we do about it?

You may initially be hesitant to touch a can or plastic bag on the sidewalk, but you'll be surprised how easy it is to change your attitude towards litter. When I was a kid, my family went on many backpacking and hiking trips with the Sierra Club. The Club's rule was to 'take only pictures, leave only footprints,' --- and moreover to leave the place cleaner than you found it. Though this is especially relevant in our parks and wild places, I say we extend this last part of the motto to everywhere we go.

It's a simple step to begin to be aware of litter around you. As you walk down the streets of Chicago or wherever you live, if and you see a bottle --- pick it up and toss it in the recycling.

This goes double for nature. You'll be surprised how great it feels to know that you helped clean up cans, bags, and bottles, and left a beautiful place more beautiful than when you arrived!

Lonesome G's Tortoise Tips : Rethinking Paper Towels

2010-06-11T12:04:00.005-05:00

Today's Tortoise Tip is on rethinking paper towels, where they come from, and how necessary they are. (Hint: they're not.)

According to Wikipedia, consumption of paper towels and other tissue products is highest in the US, with consumption 50% higher than in Europe, and nearly 500% higher than in Latin America. Yikes!

Where do paper towels come from? "The store" is not the right answer here. Of course, everyone knows the answer, but we often don't think about it. Paper towels come from trees. Trees like: spruce, pine, fir, larch, hemlock, eucalyptus, aspen and birch. You don't want to dry your hands on these guys, right? Wouldn't they be better creating habitat for animals and birds and sucking up that pesky CO2?

Not only that, but paper towels are industrially manufactured, often in a dirty process utilizing bleach, which is highly toxic to fish (and you).

International Paper Company...part of 'where paper towels come from'

So, okay, I'm going to advocate for something that may not be so popular, but seriously, it's really easy once you get used to it, and makes a big difference. Here it comes: STOP USING PAPER TOWELS. 100%. Paper towels were invented in 1931, so clearly humanity survived for many a year without them, and I think we can do so again. In your home, in public restrooms...there is really no need to use trees to clean up spills or dry our hands.

At home: Cut up worn-out clothes, or transition those old tea towels to be rags. You'll have lots on hand soon enough --- so when you use one to wipe up spilled milk, no need to cry, just toss it in the laundry basket after it's too dirty to re-use. (You're washing with cold water, right?) Simple. I've been doing it for ages, and now I wouldn't even know what to do with a roll of paper towels. :)

Public restrooms: Somewhat more of a trick......or is it? Guess what you always have with you that you can dry off that wee bit of water with? Your clothes! I have been drying my hands on my pants, skirt, sweater etc for years, and no one has ever called me a disheveled bum. It's so little water, it barely matters. Okay, so say you're wearing a suit or a silk dress. Use that handkerchief you should be carrying with you anyway or keep a little hand towel in your purse or pocket. This is what I saw that all the ladies in Japan do. It's stylish and sensible, and something that every person could easily do.

Your Mini-Activism Assignment: How many times have you been in a public restroom and seen someone horking out paper towels like there's no tomorrow? I haven't come up with a way to say something to these people that will leave them actually understanding your message, rather than being pissed off, but the good people at "These are Made Out Of Trees" have come up with a clever solution: little stickers that remind people where paper towels come from.

Savvy readers may have already noticed a link to this site, where, for a modest fee, you can get some very cool stickers, and get your mini-activist on. I just hit up a fave bar last night, and it felt very satisfying. Apparently each sticker can save up to 100lbs of paper each year.

Okay guys, go do it! Vive la revolution!

Alaotra Grebe Declared Extinct

2010-06-10T12:15:00.007-05:00

Sad news readers, we've lost another one. Another wonderful and distinct species that will never again grace our planet. R.I.P. Alaotra Grebe.

Sure, extinction is part of natural selection, survival of the fittest and all that --- but what many anti-environmentalists fail to realize when they make this argument is that the nature and efficacy of natural selection, in terms of selecting the fittest, is being fundamentally mutated by human beings. It's not "natural" selection when a species fails to adapt to climate change, over-hunting, or the pollutants poured into their habitat. Human beings continue change the environment too quickly for species to adapt, and then they're gone forever.

In the case of the little Alaotra Grebe, which lived in Madagascar, a particularly imperiled region (see our Madagascar tag for more info), the cause of its extinction was mostly habitat loss, poaching, and predation by a species of carnivorous fish introduced by human beings.

Unfortunately, only one blurry photograph (above) of the grebe exists, but an illustration can be seen below:

Bye little guy...

According to Monga Bay: "The Alaotra grebe is the third grebe to vanish in forty years, and the 132nd bird species to vanish since 1600, although it is likely birds unknown to science also went extinct during that time.

To date 1,240 birds are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List, which added 25 species to the list since last year."

This is what ESPP is working to prevent people. Help us support conservation with any of ESPP's limited-edition prints, which you can purchase here. Remember 100% of the profits go to protect the species depicted.

We're in it to win it, and serious about bio-diversity. Join the team!

You can read more about the former Alaotra Grebe in this excellent BBC article here .

Lonesome G's Tortoise Tips : Introduction

2010-06-09T12:37:00.007-05:00

In the spirit of the past few posts about how we can all step up to the plate and help out, we're starting a new section on the ESPP blog, dedicated to our pal Lonesome George.

Lonesome George is the name given to last member of the most endangered species on the planet, the Pinta Island Tortoise (Geochelone nigra abingdoni), and the mascot/logo of the Endangered Species Print Project. While other somewhat related Galapagos Tortoises species still exist, Lonesome George is the last member of his species.

Pinta Island's vegetation was devastated when human beings introduced feral goats to the island, and when and Lonesome George was discovered in 1971, it's possible that he has already been alone and mate-less for some time. Efforts to interbreed George with related female turtles of other species, have sadly been unsuccessful, producing only non-viable eggs.

Because we all want to do everything in our power to prevent more last lonesomes on the brink of extinction, let's all pull together, take the time to change our lives for the better, and be sure to pass the word on to our friends, family, and strangers on the bus. We need a groundswell and your help and engagement is vital!

So, Lonesome G is going to be bringing you suggestions from and for everyday life, that in the end can make a big impact on the health and biodiversity of our planet. They are simple things that have occurred to us in our daily lives --- and we also welcome your comments or emails with suggestions! We're going to try to come up with things that you may not have thought of before, or give a new spin on things that you may already know about. Some will be big and others small, but everything counts.

We should all be thinking about how every action we take impacts our environment, and the planet we'll leave to our children. Things like turning off the tap water when we brush our teeth, or drying your hands on your pants, instead of taking 100 paper towels ---- we like to call this mini-activism. And it matters!

We also ask you to help with the most crucial part. Be sure to pass these tips --- repost them on Facebook using the link below, tell people about them in person, set a good example, and email them to friends & family.

Lonesome G thanks you!

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Wildlife Updates

2010-06-09T09:35:00.002-05:00

An article published by Our Amazing Planet titled Oil's Effect on Endangered Species Possibly 'Mind-Bogling' discusses the potential effect of the spill on the smalltooth sawfish and other animals.

Sawfish
© Doug Perrine

The Numbers
NOAA's daily report on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill for today verifies from April 30 - June 7 within the spill area: 315 turtles were stranded 263 were dead, 22 stranded alive (3 later died). 35 dolphins stranded dead, 2 stranded alive (both now dead). Although these numbers are higher than in previous years, NOAA states that not all of these strandings can be proven to be an effect of the oil spill. They note "In part, this may be due to increased detection and reporting and the lingering effects of an earlier observed spike in strandings for the winter of 2010." In which case I guess the strandings are just an effect of climate change or naval testing or some other human-created disaster.

Care2 reports What it Takes to Save Oil Soaked Animals and notes 289 birds found alive. 547 found dead.

Hermit crabs struggle through oil on a barrier island off of Louisiana

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

What it's Worth
"Kill, don't clean" has been proposed as the correct response to oil-soaked birds by German animal biologist Silvia Gaus. Among the reasoning for this proposal Gaus lists catching and cleaning birds can cause them a fatal amount of stress. The costly, labor-intensive, and low success rate of cleaning birds is also sited.

I tend to think that just because we cannot save them all, does not mean we shouldn't try. All we have is hope. Hope that we could save one bird, that this will be a huge wake up call for America, that new energy solutions will now be our utmost priority, that Sarah Palin will finally shut the...oops. It's costly? Send the bill to BP. Tax us at the gas pump.

Here in Chicago, Ken Ramirez, the vice president of animal collections for the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago disagrees with the "kill don't clean" mentality. "The oil is not a natural substance," he says. "These animals ingest it, swim through it, and species can go extinct if we don't help."

Ramirez also points out an environmental catastrophe lurking below the Gulf's surface: "Eggs will be laid that will never hatch. Animals will eat them and have deformities. Hundreds of thousands of animals you will never see will be impacted," he said.

Kicking Ass

2010-06-08T12:09:00.000-05:00

"I don't sit around talking to experts because this is a college seminar,"

"We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick."

- President Obama

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, East Grand Terre Island, LA, 6/3/10

Bird covered in oil

I know there are some who deserve the ass-kicking more than others. I hope they get it. Perhaps they should be, as my 4th grade bus driver used to threaten, "bolied in oil." That being said, I think all Americans need an ass kicking, Mr. Obama. Our entire society is implicated in this most horrendous disaster. We all need to change our ways. Myself included. Petroleum is used not just for gas but in materials such as plastic and wax, used to package items we consume on a daily basis. There is much re-thinking and re-vising we need to do.

You can start by signing a petition to end America's dependence on oil here. Carry an aluminum water bottle so you use less plastic already. Stop taking so many napkins with your to-go lunch, people in Chicago, I see you! Those come from trees! Do you really need 7 napkins? Are you really that big of a slob? Then maybe you should get a bib! If I fly into a rage at your napkin use, people who eat lunch at the (thankfully somewhat eco-friendly) Chase cafeteria, I'm just helping President Obama to kick ass. Let's change our ways and invent new solutions. I'm tired of hauling my recycling home from the office.

ESPP Arty Updates

2010-06-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

My Love For You is a Stampede of Horses featured ESPP and Barnaby Whitfield's beautiful California Condor print.

Jerstin Crosby

You Cannot Control What is Wild

ESPP artist Jerstin Crosby's show In the Manner of Smoke at Good Citizen Gallery was reviewed in the May issue of Artforum. The exhibition included a public billboard designed by Jerstin. Good job JC!

ESPP artist The Mincing Mockingbird will be exhibiting at the Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair this weekend.

ESPP artist & blogger Christopher Reiger will exhibit in "Single Lady," a group exhibition opening next week. The show is curated by Jenny Salomon, Candice Madey, and Kate Gilmore, and includes a good number of terrific artists. Importantly, half of all proceeds will benefit Afghan Women Leaders CONNECT.

Prints and paper goods by ESPP artist and founder Molly Schafer are now available at the brand spanking new and extra lovely Arrow to Arrow.

ESPP artist & founder Jenny Kendler collaborated with Linsey Burrit on their installation Early Thaw of the Northwest Passage. The piece featured Jenny's drawings and sculpture inside of an ice cave.

Jenny Kendler & Linsey Burrit

And last but not least you have only 8 more days to catch ESPP artists Barnaby Whitfield and Aaron Johnson's amazing exhibition Don't Be Scared, You're Supposed to Be at Irvine Contemporary in Washington, DC. The exhibition closes June 12.

Oh! And in case you missed it ESPP had it's first exhibition!

Stamps for Species

2010-06-03T15:37:00.001-05:00

The Wildlife Conservation Society is petitioning the Senate to pass the Stamp act. We'd like to take this opportunity to suggest ESPP artists be considered when it comes time to create the artwork for these stamps...

From WCS:
There may be as few as 3,200 wild tigers in the world today - and they need our help. The world's remaining tigers are threatened by poaching, conflict with humans, and the loss and fragmentation of habitats.

Sign the petition here.

Congress can help tigers by authorizing a new postage stamp whose purchase would support wildlife conservation projects - to create protected habitats, stop illegal poaching and expand education.
When we put our voices together we can make a roar powerful enough to save wild tigers from a dire fate.

World's Largest Beaver Dam Can Be Seen From Space

2010-05-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

While neither the North American beaver or the European beaver are endangered species, we do have some pretty amazing beaver news to share. The largest beaver dam on our planet is so large, it can be seen from space! The dam, located in Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta, Canada is 2,790 ft long. That is over twice the length of the Hoover Dam! Read and see more about this amazing construction.

Thanks to ESPP friend and print wizard Michael Czerepak for the tip.

A Girl After Our Own (Collective) Heart

2010-05-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

The Sierra Club's Grassroots Scrapbook blog tells the story of 11 year old Olivia Bouler. Distraught over the environmental destruction of the gulf coast oil spill Olivia wanted to sell her drawings of birds to help raise money for the Sierra Club's efforts in the gulf.

The fellow artist-conservationist-fundraiser looks to be as busy as we here at ESPP are. But we hope she still has time for homework (yuck) and having fun. That last bit is important Olivia. Years from now when we retire and you take over management of ESPP you will find you have a lot less free time.

If you donate to one of Olivia's designated conservation organizations her mother will send you one of her drawings. Their project is run through the blog of Olivia's mother who is an eco-friendly architect.

ESPP also appreciated a nice bit of press from the Sierra Club when we were just starting out.

Worth a Thousand (Heartbreaking) Words

2010-05-25T19:01:00.004-05:00

More...

Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale born!

2010-05-24T11:35:00.003-05:00

Some happy news from the front...A critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale has been born, and even more amazingly, the event was witnessed by researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

However, this happy news has a caveat. The waters in which the mother gave birth are just outside the planned site for a major US Navy installation, The Undersea Warfare Training Range, which is planned to be a stunning 500 sq nautical miles in size. Environmenatl groups and scientists agree that this poses an unacceptable risk to Right Whales, and groups like NRDC and the Humane Society have filed suit.

You can read more about the witnessed birth and the suit in the LA Times, here.

(Oh, and not to spill the krill, but you just might be hearing more about the North Atlantic Right Whale and ESPP --- so keep your blowholes above water. Yeah, I typed that.)

News From Our Partners: Javan Rhino Poaching

2010-05-21T14:48:00.004-05:00

Poaching news From via the International Rhino Foundation:

May 10th Javan Rhino Killed by Poachers
Very sad news - one of the few remaining Javan rhinos in Vietnam was killed by a poacher. Prior to this death, we estimated that only 3 - 5 Javan rhinos survived in Vietnam. We know very little about this small population, and so IRF is currently funding studies to determine the sex ratio and other genetic information ...about the Javan rhinos in Vietnam to help come up with appropriate management plans for these animals.
more

May 21st Poachers killed by Kaziranga Park Guard
Our partners in India have reported that last night, in an encounter in the central range of Kaziranga National Park (home to the world's largest population of Greater one-horned rhinos), four poachers were gunned down by the park guards. One .303 rifle has been recovered from the poachers.
more

100% of the proceeds of ESPP's (sadly, very) limited edition print of the Javan rhinoceros by Christopher Reiger support the conservation works of the IRF.

Thank You

2010-05-21T09:57:00.001-05:00

From Printervention, part of this year's Version fest. Printervention asked artists from around the country to create works that raise awareness of social and political issues. Printervention underscores the necessity for the support of artists and the idea of civic responsibility to the greater society.

Prints by Sonnenzimmer

Print by Ryan Duggan

Big Cats in the Big City

2010-05-12T15:46:00.000-05:00

Panthera New York Times Billboard from Panthera Cats on Vimeo.

For the next 68 days, Panthera’s billboard in Times Square will bring attention to what’s at stake – the world's wild cats could be lost forever.For the remaining days of this campaign, all donations to Panthera will be matched dollar for dollar.

Environmental Defense Fund: Gulf Oil Spill Endangers Marine Life and Habitats

2010-05-10T14:38:00.002-05:00

EDF scientist Doug Rader, a Ph.D. oceans scientist, discusses the potential impacts of the gulf oil spill on marine life. This is the second installment in a Q&A series with EDF's senior scientists on the gulf oil spill disaster.

Pics from ESPP's first show

2010-05-05T20:56:00.012-05:00

ESPP prints by Molly Schafer, Matthew Hilshorst, Jenny Kendler,
John Vilhauer & Alison Wheeler
Thanks everyone for coming out!

We are for real serious about endangered species. Don't step.

L to R: ESPP prints by Jerstin Crosby (Golden-Crowned Sifaka),
Barnaby Whitfield (California Condor), Matt Adrian (Madagascar Fish-Eagle)
& Noah Scalin (The Vaquita - upcoming release)

Here are a few pics from the opening of ESPP's first show, at barbara&barbara gallery in Chicago. You can check out all the pics from the opening (and become our fan!) on ESPP's Facebook page.

Endangered Strangers: The Long-Beaked Echidna

2010-05-05T16:04:00.005-05:00

"Which outfit you likes better? Me got hot date tonight."

Recently classified as three separate species, long-beaked echidnas belong to an ancient clade of egg-laying mammals that includes the platypus of Australia. They are easily distinguished from short-beaked echidnas by their long snouts, which account for two-thirds of the length of the head. Despite laws designed to protect these species, they are in decline in areas accessible to humans.

Echidnas have lost much of their forest habitat to logging, mining and farming, and are regarded as highly prized game animals by local people, who hunt them with specially trained dogs. One species, Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, is thought to have an extremely restricted range and may be at high risk of extinction.

Thanks to our pals at EDGE for today's Endangered Stranger!

New Prints Just Released for May!

2010-05-03T09:17:00.014-05:00

April showers bring May flowers...and May condors?

The Dwarf Trout Lily for ESPP by Matthew Hilshorst

Artist Matthew Hilshorst created this delicate "spring ephemeral" flower for ESPP's May release. The Dwarf Trout Lily is not only ESPP's first plant, but it's also our smallest edition to date. Sadly, the Dwarf Trout Lily exists in only 14 populations. You can help protect it with your purchase of the print supporting the excellent work at the Center for Plant Conservation.

The California Condor for ESPP by Barnaby Whitfield

Artist Barnaby Whitfield created this gorgeous (*swoon*) California Condor for ESPP. Barnaby's two-person show with ESPP buddy Aaron Johnson just opened at the fabulous Irvine Contemporary, so if you're in DC, be sure to stop by. With its red, white and blue feathers and stately demeanor, I suggest we kick out the Bald Eagle and adopt Barnaby's Condor as the national bird. Barnaby's Condor print is an edition of only 180, with 100% of the profits supporting the Peregrine Fund's successful California Condor initiative. I know these will be going fast --- so head over to ESPP's website to reserve your print right now!

First Condor Born in Pinnacles National Monument in Over a Century!

2010-05-03T09:00:00.029-05:00

This spring, for the first time in over 100 years, a California condor was born in the wild. Born to parents released from a breeding program in 2004 the condor babe is being cared for in a cave 2,600 feet off the ground in Pinnacles National Monument. If it's parents are successful in rearing their newborn, the young condor could take it's first flight as soon as early October. If this chick survives it will mark a huge milestone for California condor recovery efforts.

Condor nesting it's egg at Pinnacles

Image: John Maio/ National Park Service

During the early 1800's the California condor occupied mountains along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to northern Baja California. By the 1980's the condor's situation was dismal. The population had declined to less than 20 birds. These remaining birds were captured for captive breeding programs. Today there are 180 California condors in the wild due to the continued efforts of conservationists and captive breeding programs.

In celebration of this joyous occasion ESPP hatched a condor of it's own, courtesy of artist Barnaby Whitfield.
100% of the proceeds from the sale of this print will support California condor restoration.

You can view images of the Pinnacles condors on the park's Condor Cam.

Endangered Strangers: On Vacay. Holla!

2010-04-28T10:55:00.005-05:00

Oh hai. Endangered Strangers are taking the week off. But we no leave you hanging. We hook you up wit dis:

Photograph by Gerd Ludwig, ripped from National Geographic

Pictures of the Wildlife Conservation Society's top 10 "Rarest of the Rare" species over at National Geographic.

-click dis-

The ESPP elves have been working away in their lil workshops painting pictures of some of these guys. ESPP prints of the Vaquita, the White-headed langur, and the Cuban crocodile will be released in coming months. Seems likely that our resident centaur will paint the Przewalski's horse as well.

Although we think the Seychelles sheath-tailed bat, with only 37 individuals (and even less prints) remaining is pretty rare too.

But we just be tooting our own horn now.

Camera Trap Captures Image of Rare Spotted Leopard in Malaysia

2010-04-23T12:57:00.001-05:00

Image credit: Johor Wildlife Dept.

NEWYORK, NY— Experts from Panthera,the world leader in the conservation of big cats, reported today that a rarespotted leopard had been photographed in Malaysia. The imageof the unusually marked cat (previously, only black leopards were believed toexist in the area), was captured by a Panthera camera trap in Taman NegaraEndau-Rompin National Park in the southern state of Johor. This research, inpartnership with the Johor State Government is part of Tigers Forever, acollaborative project between Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS) which aims to increase tiger numbers by 50% at key sites over a ten yearperiod across tiger range. Panthera is testing unique new digital camera trapsas a key component of Tigers Forever, as individual tigers can be identified bytheir unique stripe patterns resulting in population density estimates. Thephotographic ‘capture’ of the spotted leopard was an unexpectedbonus during routine surveys for tigers in the park.

Thenews marks a high point in an otherwise bleak outlook for the world’stigers, lions, jaguars and snow leopards. While events commemorating 40 yearsof environmental progress continue to multiply, the iconic cats that haveroamed the globe for years continue to dwindle. Widely viewed by scientists as“keystone species” whose existence indicates healthy ecosystems– big cats are plagued by a sharp loss of habitat due to deforestationand development, as well as relentless poaching for the illegal wildlife marketand as a retaliatory measure for human-wildlife conflict.

...

Inthe Year of the Tiger,fewer than 3,000 wild tigers live in Asia today. Tigers occupy only sevenpercent of their historic range and they are being hunted by poachers to selltiger parts on the lucrative wildlife black market. But Tigers Forever, withWCS, is working to protect and increase tiger numbers at key sites, one ofwhich is the Hukaung Valley Tiger Sanctuary in Myanmar (Burma), theworld’s largest tiger reserve which was established by Panthera’sPresident and CEO, Alan Rabinowitz.

Endangered Strangers: Rafflesia magnifica

2010-04-21T16:12:00.001-05:00

"Mmuuuwrahhhhh"

"I am the corpse flower"

"Also known as the meat flower"

"Mmuuuwrahhhhh"

And also known as Rafflesia mira this flower is endemic to the rainforests of Mindanao Philippines. Confined to the mountain range of Mt.Candalaga the flower is threatened by a road infrastructure project. Development of banana plantations on the lower slope of the mountain may also pose a threat. Rafflesia magnifica is only known from a few individuals and is listed as critically endangered.

While Rafflesia magnifica has only been known to science since 2005. There are many different rafflesia species. Rafflesia arnoldii has the largest single flower of any flowering plant.

This family of parasitic plants has no stems, leaves or true roots. It spreads its root-like haustoria inside the tissue of the vines and thus, lives the life of a parasite.

The fragrance of Rafflesia is most often described as smelling of "rotting flesh." This odor attracts flies and carrion beetles who, in turn, transport pollen from male to female flowers. Isn't nature great?

Rafelesia arnoldii

Meet the ESPP Artist: Christopher Reiger

2010-04-15T10:24:00.008-05:00

Christopher Reiger is an inspiring fellow. He creates wondrous paintings and writes extensively on art, ecology, philosophy and theology. Reiger's writing appears on his blog, Hungry Hyaena, right here on the ESPP blog, and in various print and web publications. April marks the release of Reiger's Javan Rhinoceros, one of two ESPP prints he has created for the project. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of Reiger's ESPP print will support The International Rhino Foundation. Interested parties can purchase his print here. Our lively discussion with Christopher Reiger follows...

Christopher Reiger
Javan Rhinoceros for ESPP

Hello! We are rather excited about your Javan Rhino print. What piqued your artistic interest in the rhino? How was the experience of creating your print? I know that you did not have much photographic reference material to work with.

Although animals figure prominently in my artwork and I consider myself an enthusiastic amateur naturalist, I knew very little about the Javan Rhinoceros when I chose the species. I did so because of their remarkably dramatic decline, uncertain future, and relative size. There are many critically endangered animals struggling to hold on, but the Javan Rhino is one of the largest.

As you mention, there wasn't much photographic art scrap to use as source material. In order to minimize stress for the critically endangered rhino, researchers study the species via fecal sampling and camera traps, and the animals are rarely encountered or observed. Moreover, as a general rule, the Javan Rhino is wary of humans and retreats into dense forests when they sense our presence. When humans do approach, the Javan Rhino often becomes aggressive and might attack, stabbing with the incisors of its lower jaw while thrusting upward with its head. Obviously, this makes the rhinos difficult to study or photograph, other than with the camera traps!

Because so little photographic documentation is available, this drawing marked the first time I've had to work from both images and written descriptions. It was a very curious process.

Your story reminds me of Albrecht Dürer's legendary rhinoceros woodcut. Dürer had never seen a rhino, but in 1515 he created a drawing based on written description of the beast. For three centuries artists had Dürer's print for reference and it was copied many times. Dürer 's depiction was not quite accurate, although it was considered to be so, well into the late 18th century.

Albrecht Dürer
The Rhinoceros

As a natural history and art aficionado do you have a favorite natural history illustrator/illustration? Some of the original visual depictions of animals can be quite strange.

Yeah, the Dürer rhinoceros story is fantastic. It's the art historian's version of the telephone game!

There are too many talented natural history artists and illustrators to list, and a great many more works produced by anonymous artists. I'll just stick to one particularly formative, little known work. My dad gave me Keith Brockie's Wildlife Sketchbook (1981) just a few years after the book's publication. Initially, I was too young to fully appreciate it, but I grew into it with time. The pages of Brockie's book include sensitively rendered drawings alongside sketches and field notes. His style is graphic and illustrative, and many of his observations about behavior are engaging. It's a stunning achievement, really, and it's too bad that it's out of print and that Brockie, from what I see online, has moved in other, less exciting directions. In any case, Wildlife Sketchbook opened my eyes to the possibilities of a career spent depicting animals. Essentially, that's what I think of myself today, still a kid happily drawing animals. Life is good! If Mr. Brockie should stumble upon this interview: thank you.

Page from Keith Brockie's Wildlife Sketchbook

Besides including elements of the natural world, your works often seem to contain elements of the spiritual or occult, alongside and even blending into references to science --- such as the graph in the Javan Rhino print. Can you tell us a bit more about how you developed this interesting co-mingling? It occurs to me that the two very different types of 'languages' blend seamlessly in your work.

My drawings include a lot of esoteric imagery; I'm very interested in mysticism and in the anthropology of myths and belief systems. To my mind, metaphysical musings are intimately connected to our investment in natural history. Moreover, I'm part of that unfortunately small group of people who believe that science and religion, or materialism and metaphysics, are both of value to our species. A lot of my work is inspired by the give and take of that relationship, and by my personal investment in both spheres.

The 19th and 20th century economist and sociologist Max Weber famously bemoaned the secularizing of modern society and the increasing specialization of professions because he felt these processes led to a "disenchantment of the world." Even though the development that began in the West with the European Enlightenment has reaped great rewards, Weber was right about the cost. A world view drained of magic and mystery is a meager one. Fortunately, I find magic and mystery abounding in natural history, evolutionary biology, astronomy, theoretical physics, theology, and philosophy. All are legitimate "languages" of wonder. If I can communicate some of that happy babble in my artwork and writing, I'm a happy, happy man!

Christopher Reiger

"Without Maps or Manifest"

I just so happen to know that you have had some amazing animal encounters during your time on our planet. Care to share one with our readers?
Sure. My father is a conservation writer and his assignments afforded us some exceptional travel opportunities when I was a child and teenager. One of my most nerve-wracking moments occurred during a trip to Botswana, when I was 19. My father and I were staying at Selby Camp, a very comfortable tent camp in the Okavango Delta that was named for the celebrated professional hunter Harry Selby. The camp had only recently been constructed, and we were the first guests to be hosted. As a result, area animals were not yet as wary of the camp as they may otherwise have been, and our wildlife encounters were fantastic, if sometimes unsettling. Sitting around the campfire on our first evening in camp, lions coughed and spotted hyaenas whooped beyond the play of firelight while I gazed up at a broad, well-populated night sky. It was magnificent.

That night, some hours after I'd fallen asleep, I was awakened by a screeching bird. I lay quietly for a moment, but heard nothing more. Still feeling alarmed, however, I turned on my flashlight and cast the beam toward the open door of the tent. Mosquito netting hung over the opening, and the beam of the flashlight reflected off this netting, casting light around the tent's interior. I leaned toward the door and stretched my arm out so that the flashlight was pressed against the netting, allowing the beam to illuminate beyond. What I saw then frightened and humbled me. My tent was surrounded by a pride of lions. Not eight feet from me, her broad chest squarely lit by my flashlight's beam, stood a lioness. She stared into the light...which seemed, at the time, to be a stare less at the light than at me! Just behind her, a fully maned male lounged on the ground where I had unpacked my bag that afternoon. In the few, long seconds before I clicked off the flashlight, delaying only because I worried that the sound or the sudden darkness would inspire the pride to dine, I noticed more lions moving about on either side of the two cats directly in front of the tent door. I remained in the same position, arm outstretched, holding my breath, for what seemed like ten minutes. I was very frightened, certain that death was imminent. I heard nothing. No padding paws, no coughing, no twigs. My father snored on alongside me.

The next morning, over breakfast, we were told that lions are often drawn to people who snore loudly. That's definitely useful information should one be camping in Africa. Heavy snorers do so at their own risk!

Christopher Reiger

"The Bird that Stands Against Time's Desolation"

Besides your lush, lovely paintings and your always thoughtful considerations on Hungry Hyaena, any projects you would like to mention?

At the moment, much of my creative energy is being given over to more mundane considerations, all of which are related to my upcoming move across the country, from New York City to San Francisco. I am, however, working on the foreword to a book of poetry and prose by the very talented writer, musician, and multimedia artist Yusuf Misdaq, and I have a number of exciting painting ideas currently in the sketch stage. And, as always, in-progress works are plentiful. Some will find the cutting room floor, others will be part of future shows. Information about current projects can be found on both Hungry Hyaena and my portfolio site.

ESPP Note:
Read more about Dürer's rhino here.
Purchase Reiger's Javan Rhinoceros print here.

Endangered Strangers: Ili Pika

2010-04-14T13:27:00.004-05:00

"Now you come and say, "Don Ili Pika, be cute and fluffy for me. Perhaps squeak a little, as you pikas do." But you don't ask with respect. You don't offer friendship. You don't even think to call me "Godpika." You come into my house on the day my daughter-pika is to be married and act like a typical hooman, all up in my base, changin' my climates."

Pikas are short-eared relatives of the rabbit, which mostly inhabit colder climes in Asia, N. America & E. Europe. The tend to live in rocky areas and gather flowers and other plants into little grassy hillocks to sustain themselves through the winter. They are well known by hikers and nature lovers for their charming high pitched call. Eeeeeeeep!

There are many species of pika, and sadly, many of them are currently in danger, due to climate change. While only four species, (our friend the Ili Pika, Hoffman's Pika, Kozlov's Pika and the Helan Shan Pika) are classified as endangered, it is likely that many more should be or soon will be. In fact, a recent suit was brought against the US government by several environmental groups, attempting to have the American Pika, listed under the US Endangered Species Act --- but sadly, since these creatures really need our help, the petition was denied.

The danger from climate change comes from the fact that many pikas live on what are termed 'sky islands.' Essentially, they live high up on the rocky sides of mountains, and due to the climactic differences between the mountains and valleys in between, are unable to travel between mountain tops. This becomes a problem as our world warms, and even tiny shifts matter for the pika. Due to their dense fur, pikas are extremely sensitive to overheating, and as the climate warms, they must move higher and higher up their mountain to survive.

...but eventually these beleaguered little guys will reach the top of their sky islands, and have nowhere left to go.

What you can do to help pikas:

- Do whatever you can to reduce your carbon footprint, as global warming is the main threat to the pika. Some really easy (and healthy!) options are walking, biking or taking public transportation instead of driving, and choosing the local options at your supermarket. Think twice the next time you go to jump in the car! :)

- Tell others! We can get the American Pika listed as an endangered species and protected if we all speak up!

Endangered animal sculptures created from...Legos?

2010-04-12T18:07:00.009-05:00

"Did I remember to turn off the toaster oven?"

"Who turned up the .jpg compression?"

The Philadelphia Zoo recently opened an exhibit of endangered animals, with one puzzling oddity. As you peer into the enclosures, you may think that you need to up the screen resolution of your eyes, but no...these pixelated guys are made from zillions (that's right, I counted...) of Legos.

For all of you that are ignorant (me) of the long and illustrious history of Lego art, the guys who crafted these critters, Sean Kenney, is at the top of the game --- and the 34 animals he created for the zoo comes in as his biggest project yet, taking over a year to complete.

The species are each accompanied by information about why the animals are endangered and very importantly, how you can help. It's about time that zoos started presenting this kind of message, and let's hope that for these 35 species at least, it's not too late.

"Pixel-monkeys will groom you while you sleep. Also, we will style your hair in a faux-hawk.

Meep. Zorb."

(Photos via the Courier Post)

ESPP Awakens from Hibernation with Two New Prints!

2010-04-09T21:07:00.003-05:00

Generally, we release our new prints "into the wild" one at a time, but to celebrate our return, we've doubled up!

You can take a peek at -- and get your paws on -- our two new prints before they're gone on the ESPP website.

The Javan Rhino print by NYC based artist, writer, and ESPP blog contributor Christopher Reiger supports the excellent work of The International Rhino Foundation. Only 49 of these elusive creatures remain on Earth, so this print is a small edition of only 49.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal print by ESPP founder Jenny Kendler supports the Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team of Oahu. HMSRTO volunteers hit the beach every day to protect the rare seals, as well as running a hot-line for seal-spottings.

100% of the proceeds from ESPP print sales go directly to these organizations, working to conserve species on the front lines. As you know, our prints are limited editions based on the populations of the species depicted. Earlier editions are already running low, so be sure not to miss out!

Keep you binoculars out to spot upcoming prints by Barnaby Whitfield, Aaron Johnson, Matthew Hilshorst, Alison Wheeler, Christopher Reiger, and founder Molly Schafer. Wondering which fascinating and rare species these artists have chosen to support? Continue to check the the blog, ESPP site and Facebook fan page to find out, as we release our newest prints!

Endangered Strangers: The Seychelles Wolf Snake

2010-04-07T10:21:00.002-05:00

Yep that's me!

I'm the Seychelles wolf snake.

I'm the snake you want to name your band after.

Just imagine the t-shirts...snake bodies with growling wolf heads...

maybe bloodshot eyes...fangs dripping saliva...

The Seychelles wolf snake is named after it's teeth. Long backwards-curving teeth invoking the wolf (dude "Invoking the Wolf" is totally the title of our first album). Seychelles wolf-snakes exhibit two color phases- yellow and dark (dude Dark Phase = title of our second album!).

Seychelles wolf snakes are active during the day and prey upon geckos, skinks and small birds. They can be found only in the Seychelles Islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Seychelles wolf snakes are at risk of extinction due to habitat degradation and invasive species of both the animal and plant variety. The cinnamon plant Cinnamomum verum was introduced to the island in 1772. Today, veritable forests of Cinnamomum verum exist and the plant continues to invade and degrade the archipelago's natural forests.

Image: © Henrik Bringsøe

Madagascar Heeds Global Outcry and Bans Rainforest Timber Exports!!!

2010-04-01T12:13:00.001-05:00

Madagascar's transitional government has reinstated the ban on exportation of rosewood taken illegally from the island's national parks. The decree, issued last week, prohibits all exports of rosewood and precious timber for two to five years. The sale and export of this old growth, endangered, rosewood would profit poachers and encourage further illegal logging on an island with deforestation already visible from outer space.

Last week's decree is seen as an important first step against the ongoing environmental crime and crisis in Madagascar. What will happen with the country's nearly 15,000 metric tons of illegally harvested rosewood is uncertain. No word yet if illegal loggers and traders will be prosecuted. The current government, which seized power during a political coup 1 year ago, has neglected to enforce conservation laws leading to organized environmental crime syndicates, illegal poaching of flora and fauna, and the temporary closure of a national park due to the looting. Tens of thousands of hectares are reported to have been affected during this short time.

ESPP's Indri Lemur print

The island of Madagascar is a biodiversity hot spot; 80% of the species that occur on the island live nowhere else on earth, and a great deal of these species are vulnerable to extinction. 90% of the island’s natural ecology has already been destroyed by logging, mining, and slash and burn agriculture. The IUCN Red List currently includes 472 species at risk in Madagascar, among them are some of the most threatened species on the planet.

ESPP has been following the environmental devastation in Madagascar. We have written articles and even got the Endangered Strangers on board. To date ESPP has produced three prints supporting species in Madagascar: the Indri lemur, the Madagascar fish-eagle, and the Golden-crowned sifaka lemur. 100 % of the proceeds of the sales from these prints will go to support conservation efforts for these species.Prints can be purchased on the ESPP website.

Click our Madagascar tag for related stories. And remember, public outcry has forced the hand of the transitional government on this issue, proof we can all make a difference!

Endangered Strangers: Namaqua Dwarf Adder

2010-03-31T12:16:00.006-05:00

Yisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss........

You can not resist me and my matching sand I am hiding in.........
You will make me famousss Endangered Ssstranger...

I am the Namaqua dwarf adder.

I may be dwarf but I will poison your ass big time...

Little is known about this secretive serpent who is most active at night. True to name, Namaqua dwarf adders reach a maximum length of just 11 inches. They have long, hollow fangs. When not injecting poison into victims these hinged fangs can fold back and rest against the roof of the mouth.

Mining on the coasts of South Africa and Namibia threaten the Namaqua dwarf adder's existence. This adder is also heavily collected for the pet trade. Reptile collecting is limited by a strict permit in South Africa and the regulation is well enforced, even for cases of biological study. Illegal collecting, however, is difficult to control.

Remember humans- you bred dogs and cats to be your pets and now there are many, many homeless dogs and cats. In the US hundreds of these potential pets are euthanized each year because nobody wants them. So please leave the Namaqua dwarf adder in the sand, the chameleons in the forests, the seahorses and corals in the oceans. Go adopt a dog or cat from the shelter.

*Two interweb blurbs report that the Namaqua dwarf adders bite is not fatal to humans...but, well it hasn't bitten too many people (yet) the first bite on record was just in 1981.... and we here at ESPPblog are fans of big boasts from small animals.

Yeah! You try make me pet, I try make you dead.
Eye for eye, thatsss how I roll.

Namaqua dwarf adder moving across sandGranada Wild

P.S. Hey! Click on that box to peep my sidewaysss roll.

Endangered Strangers: The Lined Seahorse

2010-03-25T16:15:00.006-05:00

We invoke thee, oh dark lord!

We, The Lined Seahorses...Whoops!

Oh hai...hoomanz! What you doin' down here?

No, no we're just pretending at being diabolical.

Why you make ring of salt and say evil triad?

Hmph, well maybe we are evil triad...maybe.

You don't know what goes down on ocean floor.

And if you did, we'd have to kill you.

Muwahahahaha!!!

No, no we're kidding- just a little seahorse humor.

We're weird.

Infact all seahorses could be considered a bit weird. Of all the known male animals in the entire animal kingdom, only seahorse males have a true pregnancy. Seahorses have a prehensile tale which they use to anchor themselves to sea plants, each other for mating, or coral alters for seances and the like.

They even have eyes that can rotate independently of each other! That is all rather unusual for a fish. Infact they don't even have scales as other fish do.

Lined seahorses vary in color and are named for the pearl white lines along the contour of the neck.The live in the Western Atlantic.

Lined seahorses are among the most commonly caught seahorse. They are threatened by habitat degradation due to coastal development and pollution, targeted catch and incidental capture by fisheries. Lined seahorses are sold into the aquarium trade, for Chinese medicine, and dried as curios/decorations (sadly I purchased one of these as a child). The Lined seahorse is quite popular in the North American aquarium trade and thousands are collected each year in Florida.

Seahorses are monogamous for life and even perform greeting dances each morning to strengthen their bond. Since you've been dying to know more about this male pregnancy thing, here is how it goes- The female sprays eggs into the male's brood pocket on the lower side of his tail. There the eggs are incubated for about 21 days. After the eggs hatch they will ride around in the male's pouch until they are sufficiently capable of swimming on their own. Below you can view a real life example of male pregnancy.

Take that Inside Edition /World News Weekly /People Magazine/ Stupid fake-dramatic stuff!

Lined seahorse - overviewBBC Natural History Unit

Which Countries Have the Most Endangered Species?

2010-03-22T16:38:00.005-05:00

Our friends over at the Mother Nature Network let us know about their fascinating, though sobering, 'infographic' on which countries are host to the most endangered species. I was surprised at some of the results, though others, like the US and Madagascar rate in the top tiers where I expected to see them.

Check it out at full size, here --- and props to MNN for the clear and stylish design of the piece. I'd love to see this as a poster!

Also be sure to explore the rest of the MNN site, it's a great resource for everyone who cares about the health of our planet...a green CNN if you will.

The Last Wolverine in the Wolverine State

2010-03-22T12:33:00.002-05:00

photo: Jeff Ford/Detroit Free Press

The 28-pound female wolverine (pictured above) found dead last weekend was first spotted in 2004, the first Michigan wolverine sighting since the early 1800s. Years of monitoring failed to document any other wolverines in the area. Most North American wolverines are now found in Alaska and Canada.

Mixed Environmental News

2010-03-18T16:19:00.002-05:00

Today's New York Times piece "UN Rejects Export Ban on Atlantic Bluefin Tuna" is generally discouraging...but also slightly promising.

It's discouraging to read, because the news is bad:

"A U.S.-backed proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna prized in sushi was rejected Thursday by a U.N. wildlife meeting, with scores of developing nations joining Japan in opposing a measure they feared would devastate fishing economies. It was a stunning setback for conservationists who had hoped the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, would give the iconic fish a lifeline. They joined the proposal's sponsor Monaco in arguing that extreme measures were necessary because the stocks have fallen by 75 percent due to widespread overfishing.

'Let's take science and throw it out the door,' said Susan Lieberman, director of international policy with the Pew Environment Group in Washington. 'It's pretty irresponsible of the governments to hear the science and ignore the science. Clearly, there was pressure from the fishing interests. The fish is too valuable for its own good.'"

The report is also slightly promising, however, because the United States has again positioned itself as a proponent of conservation measures.

"Only the United States, Norway and Kenya supported the proposal outright. [...] The tuna defeat came hours after delegates rejected a U.S. proposal to ban the international sale of polar bear skins and parts, suggesting that economic interests at this meeting were trumping conservation.

The Americans argued that the sale of polar bears skins is compounding the loss of the animals' sea ice habitat due to climate change. There are projections that the bear's numbers, which are estimated at 20,000 to 25,000, could decline by two-thirds due by 2050 due to habitat loss in the Arctic."

The end result, then, is by no means a happy one...but what a welcome policy change from the days of Bush & Company!?

Note: A version of this post also appears on Hungry Hyaena.

Endangered Strangers: The Kagu

2010-03-18T14:39:00.007-05:00

"Darlene. Darlene! Check this out. Darlene!"

"Check it out, I'm one of those alien guys from the end of The Dark Crystal! You know, when the two races of good and bad unite into one? You know, that cool end part with the special effects? Fer reals, right?! Darlene!"

"Oh give it a rest Frank."

"Come on Darlene, you gotta hand it to the guy. He does really look like me."

The Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) is a almost flightless bird that dwells only in the thick forests of the island of New Caledonia, a French territory that lies off the east coast of Australia. Because of its rarity and remote habitat, much is still an mystery about this enigmatic avian. Scientists are not even sure which major category of birds to place it with, and intense debate continues today...

The Kagu is the only living member of it's family Rhynochetidae, and possesses several other unusual traits, such as it's very visible light-gray coloration, which is unusual for a floor dwelling forest bird. It also has a feature, interestingly called 'nasal corns' possessed by no other bird (hence its scientific name: rhis = nose, chetos = corn), as well as having only 1/3 the red blood cells and 3 times the hemoglobin as other avians.

However, this rare bird may be threatened with extinction before we even understand its unusual features.

The Kagu builds a nest on the ground, in which it lays a single egg. Because of this, its eggs and nestlings are very vulnerable to introduced predators. New Caledonia had no mammals, save bats, before the arrival of human beings --- but since then, dogs, cats, rats and pigs have been brought to the island, all of which would happily snack on a lone egg or nestling. Initially subsistence hunting and capture for pets initiated the species' decline, but today, predation of eggs and young, as well as habitat loss due to the mining and forestry industries plays a larger part.

In recent years however, the situation has become more hopeful. The Kagu occupies a place of high regard on New Caledonia, being considered an emblem for the territory, with the bird's distinctive call even being played every night as the local TV station signs off. The Kagu is now the subject of highly dedicated conservation projects, as well as captive breeding, both of which are proving to be successful. If only we could tie more species' survival to the image of their respective host nations (see the recovery of the Bald Eagle), all endangered species might have a better chance!

So, at least for the strange and wonderful Kagu, for now, things are looking (crests) up!

Endangered Strangers: The Scimitar Oryx

2010-03-10T19:44:00.007-06:00

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

Zzzz...snort! Oh, hum, uh! Who goes there?

Oh, it's you, a huuuuman....Well, I'm an Oryx...a Scimitar Oryx to be precise. Sounds quite fearsome, no? Well it should. My razor sharp horns can kill in an instant! Kill dead, I tell you!

Hum. I say, do you mind getting this pesky itch behind my ear? Oh yes, right there, ummmmmm. My, that feels good. Well, I suppose I'll spare your life in this case.

Now do the other ear.

The Scimitar Oryx, sometimes called Scimitar-Horned Oryx, (Oryx dammah) is a species of large antelope which was once one of the most common large animals in Northern Africa. They inhabited sub-desert areas and were amazingly able to go without drinking for 9-10 months!

Scimitar Oryx populations rapidly declined throughout the 20th century, initially due to drought, with losses increasing dramatically as Europeans colonized the areas and hunted the Oryx for their meat, hides, and horn-trophies. WWII and the civil war in Chad probably also accounts for many more animals being killed for meat. By 1999, the species sadly had to be classed as Extinct in the Wild. Because Scimitar Orxy no longer inhabit their wild range, but individuals still remain in captivity, this species, while endangered, is given the special designation of "Extinct in the Wild."

Luckily, conservationists foresaw human beings bad behavior in this case, and a captive breeding program was begin in the 1960's. Captive Oryx now exist in zoos worldwide, as well as reserves in Tunisia, Morocco and have been reintroduced into Senegal and Israel (though this was not in their historic range.) As of 1996, this captive number was around 1,250. An additional 2,145 or so Scimitar Oryx exist on ranches in Texas, which sell the rights to trophy hunt the animals --- presenting an interesting ethical conundrum, where the animals are kept from extinction by virtue of being bred for sport hunting. ESPP would be interested to hear your views on this, so please weigh in in the comments section!

More whale-related news

2010-03-10T15:08:00.003-06:00

From Salon.com:
The producers of "The Cove" -- the Oscar-winning documentary about Japanese dolphin killings -- unveiled their latest marine-mammal sting operation yesterday, exposing a trendy Los Angeles sushi restaurant called The Hump for selling illegal whale meat.

The meat turned out to be from the endangered Sei whale. Read the full article here.

Also- The Cove won an Academy Award- Best Documentary of 2009! Congratulations!!! Very well deserved!

If you aren't familiar with The Cove and the inspiring work of Ric O'Barry - a former dolphin trainer who worked on the popular Flipper TV show and has since decided capturing dolphins and forcing them to perform tricks is simply wrong- visit the website.

Read our 2 recent posts on the state whaling and join in the discussion!

Commercial Whaling Could be Making a Comeback

2010-03-05T14:58:00.004-06:00

As reported in The Washington Post in February the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has proposed supporting a 10 year "whaling compromise" that would legalize commercial whaling for the first time in 30 years in exchange for reducing the number of whales killed each year.

Although that reduced number has yet to be determined the aim is to reduce the number of whales killed each year to a more sustainable level. The IWC states that nearly 2000 whales die each year to unregulated whaling, and that securing a means for countries to continue the hunt under IWC governance is the most effective way to control and reduce that number. Also on the table is the establishment of a South Atlantic whale sanctuary with more legal rigidity than the so-called "gentleman's agreement" that exists today.

Critics say reopening the door to commercial whaling is a bad move regardless. After a hard fought battle to end commercial whaling, the fact it could be legal in the 21st century seems outrageous to many.

There are three nations: Japan, Norway, and Iceland who claim whaling as an important part of their culture. Japan kills hundreds of whales each year on the grounds that it is "scientific whaling" which is permissible under the IWC rules. I, for one, do not have a clear concept of what all of this "scientific whaling" is contributing to science. ESPP blogged about whaling in Japan last week when the Australian Prime Minister publicly set a November deadline for Japan to cease all whaling. Read that post here.

What does everyone think of this proposal? I'm interested to hear your thoughts. Please comment.

Help a lemur out...

2010-03-04T17:02:00.004-06:00

Our friends at The Duke Lemur Center are competing in the Pepsi Refresh Project. Pepsi Refresh gives grants to non-profits, business, and regular old people who submit ideas that will have a positive impact on their community. The Duke Lemur Center is hoping to get a grant to improve their facility and grow public awareness about lemurs.

You can vote for the The Duke Lemur Center here.

Blue-eyed lemur

image: Duke Lemur Center

You can also go here to see the ESPP print of the Golden-crowned sifaka by artist Jerstin Crosby, all proceeds from the sale of this print support the Duke Lemur Center.

Endangered Strangers: Darwin's Fox

2010-03-03T10:53:00.006-06:00

Good day...

I am Darwin's Fox, Pseudalopex fulvipes, also known as Zorro Chilote.

Very pleased to make your acquaintance. Speaking of acquaintances,
did you know my ancestors met Charles Darwin during his voyage on
the Beagle? To mixed reviews, I daresay.

Darwin's fox: A critically endangered species that will approach you for a snack. Yet the interwebs don't seem to know much about him. A most curious little fellow.

Only about 250-300 Darwin's Foxes remain in the wild. This fox is endemic to Chile and is only found in two remaining populations. The mainland population can be found in the coastal mountains near Nahuelbuta National Park. And a larger population on the Island of Chiloé.

One of the smallest fox species in the world at around 20 inches long (plus 6 -10 inches of tail) Darwin's fox has short legs and grizzled fur.

Enjoying an opportunistic diet and dining on what is seasonably available Darwin's fox selects small mammals, reptiles, beetles and invertebrates and fruit. In Chiloé Darwin's foxes have even been known to enter human houses at night in search of food.

Some slight cultural differences exist between the two populations, namely a solitary existence vs family group living.

On the mainland unleashed dogs in Nahuelbuta National Park can attack foxes and spread disease. In the park unregulated feeding of foxes has habituated Darwin's fox to humans. The foxes wait underneath vistior's cars looking for a snack and are easily run over. On Chiloé logging, forest fragmentation, and poaching pose a threat. Darwin's foxes are often under persecution from farmers who accuse them of...what else? Robbing the hen house.

Help a Tonkin Out...

2010-02-28T17:15:00.002-06:00

ESPP is looking for a conservation groups or a conservation project currently working in the field with the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey. Leave any suggestions in the comments or please get in touch here. Thanks!

Endangered Strangers: The Saiga Antelope

2010-02-24T14:53:00.003-06:00

Salutations...

I am the Saiga Antelope.

And yes my nose does totally
rule, thanks for noticing.

In just one decade Earth lost half of it's population of Saiga antelope. One of the most rapid and dramatic decreases of a large mammal population ever seen, the saiga population of over one million plummeted to 50,000 in just ten years. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a combination of increased poaching and breakdown in law enforcement set the stage for this rapid decline.

Saiga sport a rather unusual nose. The saiga's probocsis is it's own unique and glorious beast. Here are some saiga nose facts from EDGE:

"The nose has a unique internal structure: the bones are greatlydeveloped and convoluted, and the long nostrils contain numerous hairs,glands and mucous tracts. These structures are thought to beadaptations for warming and moistening inhaled air during the winter,filtering out airborne dust during the dry summer migrations, andacting as counter-current heat exchange mechanisms."

That stately nose isn't the saiga's only fashion statement. Their white, woolly, winter coat changes to a shorter, toasty buff color in summer. Adult males sport heavily ridged horns.

The saiga is the only surviving representative of its genus. The closely related Saiga borealis became extinct during the Pleistocene.

Threats to the Saiga include poaching of the males for their horns (often for Chinese medicine) and habitat destruction along their migration routes.

Australia gives Japan Ultimatum on Whaling

2010-02-20T11:47:00.010-06:00

According to a report just in at Reuters, the Australian Prime Minister (and new ESPP hero!), Kevin Rudd, has set Japan a November deadline to cease all whaling, or face an international legal challenge. Saying that he fist preferred a diplomatic solution to the complete cessation of all Japanese whaling, Prime Minister Rudd issued this statement on Australian television:

"If that fails, then we will initiate court action before the commencement of the whaling season in November 2010. That's the bottom line and we're very clear to the Japanese, that's what we intend to do,"

Despite the fact that experts say that Japan's whaling violates international laws, such as the Antarctic Treaty System, the country has continued to cull whales, claiming that it is for scientific purposes, though this has been challenged as to its veracity by multiple parties.

This issue has been seen as extremely controversial, as Japan argues that it's continued whaling is based on cultural differences and has suggested that other countries' desire to end the killing of whales is based on emotional anthropomorphism.

I myself, when in Japan in the summer of 2008, spoke to a Japanese friend of a friend who insisted that whaling was a Japanese right and that Westerners didn't understand, and didn't have a right to interfere. She also explained something that really upset me, which was that almost no one likes whale meat, except for old men, and that much of it becomes meals for school children...basically grade F meat that no one wants. Now this was just one person's point of view, but it lead me to understand that whaling has become an issue of national pride --- becoming a symbol more than an act, standing for Japanese national and cultural independence.

While I deeply respect Japanese culture, I must respectfully disagree with this course of action. In my mind, the need to end whaling does not have to do with anthropomorphizing whales or cultural values, but instead rests in scientific logic, which (hopefully) bridges all cultures. The fact is that many of the whales culled for 'research' end up being eaten, and considered low-grade food, in a wealthy country that has no need to rely on whales for sustenance. Moreover, many of those dinner-plated whales are endangered.

To quote Wikipedia:

"In 2009, published DNA analysis of whale meat from Japanese markets suggested as many as 150 large whales, from vulnerable coastal stocks were taken annually as bycatch. Japan legally allows the commercial sale of whales caught, incidentally, entangled in fishing nets designed to catch coastal fish. Market surveys also detected migratory whales such as Humpbacks, Fin whales, Bryde's whales and Gray whales some of which are endangered species."

Not to be hyperbolic, but slavery was a 'tradition' in many cultures, but most countries now agree that the practice is barbaric, and work to end it in other nations. The principle is the same for Japanese, Icelandic and Norwegian whaling --- especially the killing of threatened and endangered whale species. It's time for these countries to all to move forward. Thanks to Prime Minister Rudd for helping this to happen.

Spotted: Lynx rufus

2010-02-19T09:10:00.006-06:00

*Update: Even though major new outlets like MSN and The Huffington Post, where we first saw this story, are reporting this non-human Olympian as a lynx (Lynx canadensis). The International Society for Endangered Cats Canada assures us it is actually a bobcat (Lynx rufus). The content of this post has been updated to reflect this new info. See comments.

Spotted: Lynx ~~canadensis~~ rufus, better known as the bobcat, sneaking across an Olympic downhill ski course near Whistler.

The ICUN lists the status of the bobcat at least concern.

Historically the bobcat roamed throughout the lower 48 states but has been extirpated from parts of the mid-west and the east coast. The bobcat also resides in Canada and Mexico. In all three countries habitat loss is a major threat to the bobcat. Legal harvesting of the bobcat occurs in the US and seven Canadian provinces and it is trophy-hunted in Mexico.

This bobcat's graceful appearance and artful leap over the Vancouver 2010 sign leaves the displays of athleticism by our Olympians look just a little less awesome.

We can't help but wonder what kind of impact the 2010 Olympics are having on Canada's rich and wonderful wilderness. According to news reports on this Olympic lynx that is actually a bobcat locals say that the animal is common around Whistler and can be seen during their mating season.

Endangered Strangers: The Vaquita

2010-02-17T12:06:00.009-06:00

Yo soy guapo! You soy chico! Yo soy raro!

Yo soy la Vaquita!

Vaquita photo by Barb Taylor

Ssssqueak, squeeek! Squizzle! Ssssssqueeeee!

Allow me to translate. That's our poquita Vaquita friend's way of saying, "Help us, amigas! Por Favor!" And seriously, one look at that little face -- how can you resist? You're not resisting, you say? Oh good...Fellow Vaquita lovers, please read on:

The Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), whose name means "little cow" in Spanish, is one of the worlds smallest cetaceans (a group which included dolphins, whales and porpoises), and is certainly one of the most adorable and charming too. Sadly, since the Baiji of China has recently become extinct, the Vaquita is now Earth's most critically endangered cetacean, with estimates putting the population between 100-300.

Vaquitas live only in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) -- which is the body of water between the skinny peninsula of Baja California and Mexico. In fact, Vaquitas only live in the extreme north of this body of water, also making them the cetacean with the most limited range.

Due to their small range, the existence of this rare porpoise was only confirmed in 1985. Though Vaquitas have never been hunted directly, they are often trapped and killed in gillnets set to catch fish and shrimp. In the year 2000, the Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, found that 39-84 individuals are killed each year by such gillnets --- which is an obviously unsustainable level.

There is some hope, however. The Mexican government has set aside a portion of the Vaquita's habitat as a nature reserve, but conservationists would like to see that reserve extended. Even if the threat of gillnets is eliminated, chlorinated pesticides flowing into the water, reduced flow of freshwater from the Colorado River due to irrigation, and inbreeding still present serious threats to this tiny population.

Vaquita Illustration by Brett Jarett

Here are a few ways you can help:

- The plight of the Vaquita is not well known outside of certain communities, so tell people about this amazing little guy!

- Since fishing is the main danger to the Vaquita's survival, if you eat seafood, please make sure you're not harming Vaquitas or other sea mammals in the process. Unbelievably, fisheries kill hundreds of thousands of marine mammals each year or more than 1000 per day. You can find a list of seafood that is safe for you and the planet here and, download a printable pocket-sized guide for your region here. Take it with you to the grocery store and restaurants and make copies for your friends and family!

- It's also important to let your representatives in government know that you care about the health of our oceans, so sign those petitions and answer those emails --- they all count! Time for the Vaquita, is of the essence. We have only a couple years to save this unique and valuable species.