Can We Save the Whooping Cranes?

On trips to the Texas Gulf Coast, I have enjoyed watching and photographing whooping cranes in the wild. This largest of North American birds, though saved from extinction, is still endangered. Drought and poor river management can cause increased salinity in coastal wetlands, killing off Art Quilts Unfoldingatic animals, thus disrupting food sources for many animals. By combining hand painted and commercial fabrics with thread painting, I show on the left side, the result of adequate fresh water inflow, while on the right is the imagined scene if we do not manage water resources wisely, showing only the remembered "ghosts" of these and other shorebirds in the future. This quilt became the first in a series of quilts that share my concerns for the welfare of our world, animals, and humankind.