Turtles and Sparrows
Lauren Owens Lambert | United States
Photographer: Lauren Owens Lambert
Exhibit Title: Turtles and Sparrows
Location: United States
Turtles: Water temperatures plummet in November in Cape Cod bay. Kemp’s ridleys, most endangered sea turtle in the world wash up, cold-stunned, on the inside edge of the hook-shaped Cape. The phenomenon is the largest recurring sea turtle stranding event in the world but the stranding are increasing due to climate change and successful conservation work in their nesting beaches in Mexico and Texes.
Sparrow: The saltmarsh sparrow – the only bird species that breeds exclusively in the saltmarshes of the Northeast U.S. and found nowhere else on earth – could soon face extinction due to rising seas from climate change. More than four out of every five saltmarsh sparrows have disappeared in the last 3 decades, with an estimated population decline of 87 percent. A 200 kilometer long hybrid zone exists in New Hampshire and Maine between the saltmarsh sparrow and the nelsons sparrow. Depending on what traits the saltmarsh sparrow picks up, it could help future generations adapt to climate change. The sparrow is currently under consideration for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, with a decision expected in September of 2024.
Make Comment/View Comments