Bay Nadeau, SAVE MAINE SONGBIRDS
SAVE MAINE SONGBIRDS
Bay Nadeau
11th Grade
Linoleum cut
Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki
Wiscasset, ME
Lincoln County
Teacher: Monique Boutin
“Of all the wonderful parts of exploring the Maine woods, birdsong can be among the most magical to experience. Over 90 species of forest birds breed in our state, each equipped with their own unique repertoire of songs and calls, making for a diverse array of combinations that are unlike those anywhere else. Growing up here, I’ve always associated this birdsong with the sound of home, a familiar song of my childhood summer adventures into the woods with my family. However, in my recent research for my natural history project, I have learned that these wild songsters are under serious threat, largely due to human-induced climate change. If global temperatures warm by 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2080, as expected by climate scientists across the globe, at least 95 species of Maine forest birds are expected to lose thirty to one hundred percent of their current continental breeding range. And even if the United Nations meets the goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, that still leaves 37 species at risk of losing thirty to one hundred percent of their range, which for some could mean leaving Maine entirely. For my piece, I was hoping to share my concerns with as large of an audience as possible, so using a piece of linoleum, I created a poster print featuring 9 of Maine’s breeding forest birds most vulnerable to climate change, reading: GONE BY 2080 - SAVE MAINE SONGBIRDS. This is a message I hope will speak to the severity of Maine’s songbird crisis, because if immediate climate action is not taken, all 9 of these birds will experience significant range declines in the state, and may leave the state altogether. Overall, my hope for this piece is to inspire a wider audience to take action for the birds of not only forests, but every place and habitat, and not just birds either. It is often the small things in this world that we choose to neglect, that our eye obscures and we seem to forget. So, it is up to the artists to enlighten the masses, to spread the joys and wonders of the world that no eye can fully see, and for me, to speak up for the softest voices of summer, before they go silent forever.”