Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 27 "Montana's T& E species range from the delicate Ute Ladies'- Tresses orchid, prehistoric sturgeons, the majestic whooping crane and grizzly bear (which is still listed) and many more. All the species are unique and can be found residing in or utilizing Montana's varied habitats throughout the state. With funding from the Sweet Pea Festival, and a private donor we have artists' renditions of 10 of the T&E species and our first mural of the whooping crane was com- pleted by Juliene Sinclair (julienesinclair. com) in August 2019. A pair of whoop- ing cranes bursts from the side of a NE neighborhood shed with vivid colors and whimsical feathers that float along length of the shed. e next mural to be painted was the white and pallid sturgeon by Robert Rath and resides on the west side of Bozeman. Both sturgeons are represented, highlighting their massive size and prehistoric looking scales. "Montana's 12 T&E species are found throughout the state in a wide variety of habitats and are threatened by a range of activities including, habitat destruction, logging, agriculture, habitat fragmentation, grazing, recreation and changes in stream flows. Many of their populations are relegated to a few isolated habitat patches or drastically reduced popula- tion numbers. Under these circumstances a random weather or other catastrophic event could extirpate an entire species in Montana. "rough the eyes of the artists and their renditions, I have a whole new perspective on all of these species and how exquisite they all are. Because of this proj- ect, I have worked with wonderful people and groups that are deeply committed to these species and are trying to conserve them. I can imagine them on walls, sheds, and buildings in Bozeman where they will be act as representatives of their species and sentinels of what may be lost." Rath describes his experience: On a warm June day I received an e-mail invi- tation from e Craighead Institute and the Sweet Pea Festival to submit a mural idea raising awareness for Endangered Species in Montana. I expected the first instinct of other artists would be to paint the beautiful and cool animals like grizzlies, lynx, and bull trout. Looking down the list, I found the sturgeon, and instantly had the idea to embrace the sharp and spiky nature of these charismatically- challenged fish in a way that makes them hip and fresh. I figured the hippest and freshest thing in Montana are craft beers, so maybe a sturgeon drawn like a beer label might be a good solution. I illustrated my idea and sent it off. I was pleased to hear my sturgeon had passed a first round of judging and would be represented at Bozeman's popular Sweet Pea Festival. One image for each entry on the Endangered Species list would be displayed, A PRIL CRAIGHEAD OF THE CRAIGHEAD INSTITUTE IN BOZEMAN, A WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST AND LEADER OF THE PROJECT SAYS: "e Montana Mural project aims to promote conservation education on Montana's 12 threatened and endangered (T&E) plant and animal spe- cies through art; specifically, through murals. I hope that the murals will bring to life these species and inspire people to learn about and support conservation efforts before they are gone forever. e inspiration for the mural project comes from the work of Avi Gitler and the National Audubon Soci- ety in New York where they are painting 314 species of birds that are affected by climate change (see www.audubon.org). I wanted to replicate this process in Bozeman on a much smaller scale, so I chose Montana's 12 T&E species. TOM RATH Valerie Harms, April Craighead and Robert Rath

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