The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation will be honoring the return of the endangered whooping crane with an art show open to all artists and students.
Margo Brault, painter and French professor at LSU, said the Whooping Crane Art Show and contest will feature work from more than 60 Louisiana artists. She said there will also be cash prizes that vary among first, second and third place. The public exhibits will last from Feb. 18 to Feb. 27.
Brault said the exhibit will showcase 17 of her pieces. All of the art will be available for auction, and the funds will go toward the Whooping Crane Reintroduction Program.
In 1945, there were only two whooping cranes that inhabited the Louisiana landscape. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries released 10 young cranes at the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Gueydan, Louisiana, in 2011. This was only the beginning of the reintroduction program.
Since then, Brault said four to 10 whooping cranes have been released each year. Now, there are 81 wild cranes in Louisiana. There are actually more reported whooping crane sightings than people may think, she said. While this is great progress, Brault said the species was still very vulnerable. There are only 800 whooping cranes in North America, which means this species is still endangered.
“In Louisiana, this is something we can be proud of because it’s working. The birds are coming back,” Brault said.
Factors like hunters and power-line accidents have caused the population to decrease. However, Wildlife and Fisheries tries its best to ensure the whooping cranes have a smooth transition to their new environment. The cranes receive tracking monitors and multiple medical checks before they leave the handlers.
Brault said she felt like the art show would spread the word about the work Wildlife and Fisheries was doing. She said it would also give artists across the state exposure for their work.
According to a Wildlife and Fisheries information page, first place will receive $500, second place will receive $250 and third place will receive $100. There are two separate competitions for children and adults. All the artists who place in the competitions will be invited to watch the crane release at White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area.
The art at the exhibit will be 2-dimensional, Brault said, as a way to limit the possibilities of damages. The exhibit will be held at 2000 Quail Drive, in Baton Rouge.
An invitation-only gala will be on Feb. 24.
