The Animals Only Voice

A group of young art students were surprised to discover that British Columbia does not have endangered species legislation! Proudly claiming the title of, "Beautiful BC" and, "The Best Place on Earth," it seems ironic that British Columbia is failing to protect the over 1600 species at risk! From the grizzly bears to the great blue herons to the rattle snakes; BC is the most biologically diverse province in the country. These artworks represent the students initiative to take action; to recognize the species that make British Columbia so diverse.

The compelling artworks bring attention to both the beauty and the plight of many vulnerable animals in BC.  To make their images authentic, the students researched their animals on the internet.  They found information on habitat, behaviours, threatened ecosystems, and population declines.  The students looked at the problems facing these animals and considered some possible solutions. 

After gathering the necessary information, students needed to compose their images to convey this information; to grab the  viewers attention and force them to think. Some artists included words or symbols to strengthen their message, while others considered colour combinations and  watercolour techniques to further enhance their images. The result is a richly varied impression of some of the beautiful species currently endangered or at risk in British Columbia.

We hope these paintings speak to you.
"We are the animals only voice!"
 

Colours of Pollution

The animal that is featured in my watercolour painting is a Red-necked Phalarope.  The Phalarope are soon to be endangered in British Columbia. In my painting, the chosen colours represent the pollution in our waterways that is caused by cities and agricultural run-off. Pollution is the main reason why these animals are threatened. The buildings in the background are so dark and bold to represent how industry and agriculture have such a harsh impact on these beautiful birds. I feel that the Red-necked Phalarope needs more recognition, along with all other endangered species. I hope that our future generation has the chance to embrace the beauty of this bird.

Danya, Grade 10

The Glow of Extinction

My painting "The Glow of Extinction" represents the anger and fear the humans have toward the Grey Wolf. The glow from the Earth shows that we are no longer welcoming our wildlife, we're slowly leaving them in the dark. Our earth is on fire and the population, habitat loss, and lack of responsibility is definitely not putting it out.  The Grey Wolf, also known as the Timber Wolf, is a beautiful creature. It prefers the open tundra and forests of British Columbia. This animal is very social and mates for life. The average of seven pups are born. Even though it should have a great population, the Grey Wolf is gaining risk of endangerment. Humans fear, superstition, and out right hatred to this animal is leading to aggressive hunting. This decreased its population drastically and dropped it from 50% of its former range. Changes need to be made such as, more awareness of this animal and understanding of its risks and rights. Not only for this animal but every single one has a right. Our wildlife of beautiful British Columbia deserves a life and our future children deserve to see it. We need to stand up for the many creatures that don't have a voice.

Nicola, Grade 10

Sticker Book

In my painting I'm trying to show people how fragile the present is, and how our actions now can effect the future to an extreme. The hand and the sticker page are meant to represent the future and that children may not be able to experience the animals that we have today. My art is based on the Mountain Caribou, the Mountain Caribou is a critically endangered species. Within the last decade their population has dropped about 25%, from approximately 2200 in the late 1990's to approximately 1900 today. This species is linked to many other endangered species and if the caribou were to go extinct it may lead to the disappearance of 21 other species. The Mountain Caribou is globally unique to South eastern British Columbia so if we don't protect it, who will? The main threats to the caribou are habitat loss and fragmentation. Logging and back country recreation are the main causes of both of these. People need to take action and help support these unique animals.

Katie, Grade 9
For more information on the Mountain Caribou go to  www.mountaincaribou.ca/

I Am a KIller Whale

The animal that I chose to paint is a Killer Whale. This mammal is endangered because of humans. Our sewage and toxins drain into the oceans where they live, along with air pollutants coming over from Asia. These risks make their prey extinct too.
In my painting, the flowing parts through the water highlight the powerful words written in them. The words are suposed to be from the whales opinion and how it feels. There is only one whale in my painting because it shows how alone the mammal is, swimming through the dark ocean water.  The Killer Whale needs our help to stay protected, which means we need to give it a clean ecosystem.

Maddy, Grade 10

The Canada Warbler

I painted a picture of three Canada Warblers flying around the world because, it represents that with all of the forests being cut down they will have no place to live. It also represents that they are flying around the world night and day looking for a new place to live, but can't find it. I made the Warblers big because even though they are not a very well known species they still have a large impact on BC.There are under 100 Canada warblers left in BC (wikipedia). The Warbler needs a place to live, they breed generally in dense secondary growth forests, red maple swamps, or high elevation alpine forests.

Amy, Grade 10

Bears

My picture represents the poaching of bears for sport and the risks to them from urbanization. Many grizzlies are shot and killed either for fun, or for wandering into urban areas. With human civilization expanding, the habitat of these animals are being diminished at uncontrollable rates, thus leaving them no choice, but to head into our towns and cities.  Everyday many of these bears are killed and no one seems to give a second thought of it. When a starving bear is caught in peoples garbage looking for food, just to stay alive, it is considered a threat and must be dealt with. The concept for my art was to show the double standards between humans and animals; by switching their roles and showing people what our actions are like from the other end of the barrel.

Sarah, Grade 9

Spirit Bear Facing Extinction

In my artwork, the spirit bear depicted has its four paws submerged in oil. The spirit bears are greatly threatened by a proposal to make a pipeline across their coast. Behind the spirit bear are several tall buildings, this is to show that we are taking over their home and logging their habitat for our own selfish reasons. I hope people understand that these beautiful bears and other mystical animals must be protected and we must take action or we may never see these creatures again. Spirit bears live solely on the coast of British Columbia and are known for their unique white coat. If we continue to pillage and log this coast, we will wipe out the salmon, the spirit bears source of food, and will be taking their ideal hibernating and denning habitat. This animal faces extinction if we do not stop logging this coast or using it for our selfish wants. Legislation could improve their situation by making laws to protect this coast and the small population (200) of spirit bears left in the world. I would like to see the endangered animals of BC living in harmony with us. We need to respect and care for these animals, not rob them of their lives. I have learnt from this process that we can take action and we must do something to save these fast dying numbers of endangered species.

Heather, Grade 9

Surrounded

In my painting, you see a bird flying, and in the background, there are blotches of colour. The colour represents all the pollution that the bird can't ever fly away from. I chose to paint the Red Knot because it is one of the species that isn't super extravagant or attention demanding. The species that are more in the background are the ones that are more likely to go extinct because no one is overly concerned about them. I think we need to raise awareness about endangered species in BC, because whatever humans do will affect the lives of those animals.

Jillian, Grade 10