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

The Amazing American Avocet

I felt really sad when I found out that B.C. doesn't have an endangered species law, because I love animals! So that's why I created this painting of the American Avocet. The American Avocet lives in shallow fresh and salt water wetlands, mainly in B.C. and a few places in the United States. This bird is threatened because of human activity and limited nesting space. In my painting, you see the bird on the left is sad because the environment is dirty and dark. And that is starting to happen now and will get worse if we don't fix it. In the middle, the bird is flying into a better world - away from BC. On the right, the bird is happy because its surroundings are clean, healthy and bright, the way they should be. There are over 1900 species in B.C. that are at risk! I hope that my artwork will inspire people and make them aware of this too.

Katrina, Grade 9

Endangered Swift Fox

My painting is of a young, endangered Swift Fox. It is looking at buildings that took over its habitat in Canada. Swift Foxes live in deserts or short grass prairies, but due to farmers' long crops and housing, along with manufacturing, the Swift Fox lost its ability to stalk his prey or have a home. In the past, there were animal control programs to kill coyotes, ground squirrels and wolves, but they got the Swift Fox instead, which led to their expiration from Canada in the early 1900s. People realized their actions upon such a beautiful animal and so it got better. But, Swift Foxes are still accidentally being shot, trapped and poisoned. If things changed, the numbers of the Swift Fox would grow. I made this piece of art to open peoples eyes and make a change.

Brooklyn, Grade 9.

If I Could Talk

My painting is of a Great Blue Heron. It is called "If I could talk" because, if this heron could talk, it would be screaming out all the words in the speech bubble. The Great Blue Heron needs our help, because they can't verbally express the sadness and worries they feel. There are buildings in the background to reflect the growth in urbanization which is causing the heron's numbers to diminish. Sometimes people even build right over top of their nesting areas, which are near swamps and wetlands. I wanted my painting to have an impact, and make people feel like they want to make a change. Animals are important to British Columbia. Without them, this province wouldn't be "The Best Place on Earth." An endangered species law must be introduced to BC before the Great Blue Heron, along with over 1900 other endangered species, become extinct.

Emily, Grade 10