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tina mullen @ silverdog studio
Black Guillemot of Cooper Island
Erased 92%
Watercolor/Pastel/Charcoal
In 1972, a young ornithologist named George Divoky began studying a colony of Black Guillemots on Cooper Island - a barrier island off the north coast of Alaska. For the past 50 years, Dr. Divoky has amassed what is likely the largest data set examining the rise and fall of a single bird colony that links the birds demise directly to human caused climate change.
The warming climate has reduced the ice sheet and warmed water eliminating the birds’ food source and leaving them vulnerable to an increasing number of starving polar bears.
At its peak, the colony numbered over 600 birds in 1990. In the Summer of 2024 there were less than 50 birds. Dr. Divoky anticipates that his next trip to the island will be his last, there may be no more birds to study.
My connection to George happened while I was in residence at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI). I discovered a letter he wrote in 1969 asking Peterson to use his considerable influence to remove the term "flesh-colored" from ornithological taxonomy. Since contacting George and learning about his life and research, our conversations have become centered on our shared interest in, climate change, social justice and well-being. We have formed a bond that fuels my current drawings highlighting bird species decline. We recognize that together, we can broaden the conversation using art and science as a conduit for understanding how we are actively responsible for declining numbers of bird species, linking it to our increasingly dangerous climate and our ability (or inability) to show compassion for our fellow humans.
Watercolor/Pastel/Charcoal
In 1972, a young ornithologist named George Divoky began studying a colony of Black Guillemots on Cooper Island - a barrier island off the north coast of Alaska. For the past 50 years, Dr. Divoky has amassed what is likely the largest data set examining the rise and fall of a single bird colony that links the birds demise directly to human caused climate change.
The warming climate has reduced the ice sheet and warmed water eliminating the birds’ food source and leaving them vulnerable to an increasing number of starving polar bears.
At its peak, the colony numbered over 600 birds in 1990. In the Summer of 2024 there were less than 50 birds. Dr. Divoky anticipates that his next trip to the island will be his last, there may be no more birds to study.
My connection to George happened while I was in residence at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI). I discovered a letter he wrote in 1969 asking Peterson to use his considerable influence to remove the term "flesh-colored" from ornithological taxonomy. Since contacting George and learning about his life and research, our conversations have become centered on our shared interest in, climate change, social justice and well-being. We have formed a bond that fuels my current drawings highlighting bird species decline. We recognize that together, we can broaden the conversation using art and science as a conduit for understanding how we are actively responsible for declining numbers of bird species, linking it to our increasingly dangerous climate and our ability (or inability) to show compassion for our fellow humans.
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