Sholes Imprints

Facing Mt Baker and the upper part of the Sholes Glacier (terminus below to the right). Can you see the forms of creatures emerging with the bare ice?

The Sholes Glacier flows down the north east side of Kulshan/Mt. Baker in Washington State. It feeds the North Fork of the Nooksack River, the short icy artery that connects Bellingham Bay to Kulshan, the 10,781 foot tall volcano. The Nooksack tribe calls this land home. So do many furry, scaly and feathered brothers and sisters.

Spend any time near the mountain and the lives of animals will quickly chirp, swoop, slap and wriggle their way into your awareness. This summer I spent a night on the Nooksack River, and I could feel the silver splash of salmon and the gaze of an eagle all evening. Later, we hiked Ptarmigan Ridge and counted nearly 50 mountain goats. The gray flash and squeak of pika is a frequent companion alongside the trail. These animals are emblems of the North Cascades. They are also endangered, each impacted by retreating glaciers and changing climate in different ways. With these imprints inspired by the Sholes Glacier, I show the beauty of their symbolic bodies and experiment with how we feel in their absence.

Back in July, I had a conversation with Jezra Beaulieu, who works as a water resources specialist for the Nooksack tribe. We discussed the research that she and Oliver Grah do, the connections between glaciers and salmon habitat, and how the Nooksack tribe is planning for climate change. In the portion of our conversation where I asked (as I always do) what forms of communication she found particularly effective at imparting data related to ongoing environmental change and adaptation, she mentioned the Nooksack Vulnerability Assessment.

“The climate of the Nooksack River watershed is changing, and is projected to continue to change throughout the 21st century. In addition to rising temperatures and exaggerated patterns of seasonal precipitation, the watershed is likely to experience greater wildfire risk, more severe winter flooding, rising sea levels, and increasing ocean acidification. These changes will have profound impacts on the watershed’s plants, animals, and ecosystems, including changes in species distributions, abundances, and productivity; shifts in the timing of life cycle events such as flowering, breeding, and migration; and changes in the distribution and composition of ecological communities. Understanding which species and habitats are expected to be vulnerable to climate change, and why, is a critical first step toward identifying strategies and actions for maintaining priority species and habitats in the face of change.”

Morgan, H., and M. Krosby. 2017. Nooksack Indian Tribe Natural Resources Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment. Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington.

The Nooksack Vulnerability Assessment can be found here. It assesses how climate change will impact 18 important species and 6 habitats within the Nooksack watershed. There are different sensitivity factors impacting the species. The information is presented in tables grouping vulnerable species under different RCP scenarios. Most species end up in the “Extremely vulnerable” category by 2050 and 2080. This is gloomy information, presented in a straightforward scientific manner.

These analysis of species vulnerability inspired me to start printmaking. I expanded upon the simple silhouette imagery used in the report and carved intricate animals from wood, then embossed those forms in thick paper, or printed them in ghostly shades of grey. I thought about fragility, transience and resilience in addition to vulnerability. I printed these animals by themselves, or under the strong and enduring outline of Mt. Baker. In the present, these animals characterize this place. Their bodies are linked to water bodies. They populate the Nooksack watershed and fill ecosystem niches. In the next 30 or 60 years, will they still be here? How will they adapt? What would this place be without them? These are the questions driving this work.

This ongoing experiment is one example of how I am creating data-inspired visuals, bridging art and science with the help of photographs, experiences and conversations with researchers and watershed stakeholders.