Collaborative exhibits showcase biodiversity

Three new Cornell University Library exhibits explore the beauty and fragility of Earth's biodiversity in habitats near and far, from elusive species on other continents to wildlife in our own backyards.

Part of the ongoing "From the Brink" series of library collaborations with partners across Cornell, the exhibits will launch with an opening celebration April 16 at Mann Library.

In the Mann Library lobby, the exhibit "Going to Gone: Earth's Biodiversity Loss and What We Can Do About It"uses historical material from the library's special collections to chronicle threats to wildlife and ways to combat those threats. Among renderings of extinct and endangered species, an illustration of the American horseshoe crab from James E. De Kay's "Zoology of New York," published in the 1840s, resonates most deeply with co-curator Paul Jensen, a collections management and exhibits research assistant at Mann Library.

"In just a few decades of my own life, the horseshoe crab went from this thing that is so common to one of the species that we're now highlighting as being at risk," said Jensen, who grew up on the Jersey Shore and remembers finding an abundance of the crustaceans on its beaches.

"Through this exhibit, I hope we can change the perception of endangerment and extinction as only affecting exotic, faraway species to something that also happens right in the places we call home," he said.

Also on the first floor of Mann Library, "Keeping Common Birds Common: Birds and Habitat at Cornell Botanic Gardens and Beyond" features photos by wildlife photographer Marie Read, a retired editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and an author of several books on birds.

From images of a Baltimore oriole probing the buds of a crabapple tree in the F.R. Newman Arboretum to an eastern screech-owl roosting in a hole in a sycamore tree in the Mundy Wildflower Garden, the exhibit shows how birds are protected and nurtured by conservation practices and sustainably managed landscapes exemplified by Cornell Botanic Gardens.

The exhibit also offers viewers simple ways to conserve habitats in their backyards, including using native plants and letting vegetation grow more naturally. "There are things they can do with their properties to improve them for birds and help mitigate drastic decline we've been seeing in bird populations over the last 30 years or so," Read said.

Sonja Skelly, director of education and academic initiatives at the botanic gardens and an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Integrative Plant Sciences, co-curated the exhibit and described it as a "marriage of art and science."

"When you combine the two, you can reach more people more effectively," she said.

In the main gallery on the second floor of Mann Library, "Last Call: Bird Decline and the Threat of Extinction"features illustrations of birds from the library's archival collections; photographs and video and sound recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library; and bird specimens from the Cornell Museum of Vertebrates (CUMV), including the ivory-billed woodpecker, passenger pigeon and the Carolina parakeet.

"The museum's holdings offer an irreplaceable record of environmental change, allowing researchers to compare present-day birds to those from decades or even centuries ago," said Irby Lovette, CUMV director and exhibit co-curator. "Sadly, in some cases our museum specimens are the only physical evidence that remains of species that are now completely extinct, making them both scientific resources and powerful reminders of what has been lost."

Highlighting the work of conservationists at Cornell and beyond, the exhibit also features stories and images of birds that have rebounded from the brink of extinction - including the American bald eagle and the kākāpō, a flightless parrot endemic to New Zealand.

"By encountering these species in the exhibit, I hope visitors recognize both the fragility of biodiversity and the cumulative nature of loss over time," Lovette said. "At the same time, I hope that these stories underscore that many current declines are still reversible if we act wisely and decisively."

Mike Webster, director of the Macaulay Library, who collaborated on the exhibit, said programs such as eBirdand other participatory programs encourage citizen science and have a positive impact on birds.

"To me the important thing is that there is hope," Webster said. "The exhibit shows heartbreaking stories of birds that have been lost, never to be seen or heard again, but also stories of birds that were teetering on the brink but have come back.

"The important lesson is that we can save birds facing extinction, but it takes conservation action and public support. By telling these stories, we can build that support," he said.

More details about the exhibit opening celebration can be found on the Cornell events page, including an opening talk titled "Finding Hope in the Search for Lost Birds" by Cornell Lab of Ornithologist researcher Jordan Boersma on April 16, at 4 p.m., in Room 160 of Mann Library.

Viewers can also find more information about related events organized by Cornell Botanic Gardens, including the Elizabeth Rowley Lecture "Keeping Our Common Birds Common" by Douglas Tallamy, professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, on April 26, 3 p.m., in the Call Auditorium in Kennedy Hall, and a series of birds and blooms tours.

The Mann Library exhibits are supported by the Elizabeth (Betty) Rowley Fund for Mann Library.

Jose Beduya is a staff writer and editor at Cornell University Library.