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On
September 11, 2006, the Brazos Valley Art League held the monthly
members’ meeting at the P. David Romei Art
Center, presenting a patriotic program and words of encouragement
from President Mary Burkhalter, a few members, and guests. What
started as a patriotic reminder of those we have lost became an
invitation to use our talents as artists toward healing and helping.
Five years. Some much has happened in the United States over the
past five years. Since the terrorist attacks five years ago, our
nation has worked hard to overcome the losses, and in those five
years other tragedies have happened. Besides the terrorist acts,
there were losses and suffering from floods, tornadoes, hurricanes,
heat waves, and blizzards. But somehow, Americans have found ways to
rebuild or to start new ways of helping others. One artist told us
of the loving sacrifice of an artist that offered to create
portraits of those loved ones lost in the 9-11 attacks. Each artist
speaking at our meeting encouraged us to look for ways to use our
talents to help others.
Of course, many of us have actively helped people suffering from the
disasters of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Humans and their homes
were not the only victims. In Texas, there are needs to be address
and Eastman Gallery, Houston, has stepped forward with an art
competition to raise funds and awareness of the damaged nature
preserves, while encouraging the careers of the artists involved.
Despite efforts to restore
the natural order of things, so much was destroyed it will take a
great investment of time and resources to heal the damaged areas.
Hurricane Rita ranked as the fourth-strongest storm ever recorded
for the number of tornadoes and wind shear events, with
approximately 90 tornadoes spotted.
From all reports,
preserves owned by The Nature Conservancy in East Texas – including
Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, Big Thicket Bogs and Pinelands
Preserve, Wier Woods Preserve, and Little Rocky Preserve – and
similar tracts of land managed for conservation sustained a broad
range of damage, with descriptions ranging from “disturbed” to
“devastated,” depending on the species and locations involved.
In a report for the Texas Farm Bureau, state forester and Texas
Forest Service director Jim Hull said that an estimated 771,000
acres or 967 million cubic feet of timber were either damaged or
affected. To put the problem into perspective, in 2004, 645 million
cubic feet of timber was harvested in all of East Texas. Those
figures center around timber production, and do not touch on the
losses to the endangered communities that preserves protect. The
present estimate is that only three percent of native communities
for Big Thicket sandhill pine forests exists in tact, and these are
the very communities hit by Hurricane Rita.
According to Nature Conservancy biologist Wendy Ledbetter, saturated
soils became a critical factor for the bottomland areas in
Conservancy preserves during the storm, with huge tracts of land
still showing thick piles of upended hardwoods and snapped pine
trees, especially along creeks and rivers. Some of the human
structures on the preserves also were lost or heavily damaged, and
entire nature trails have been lost.
Funds and volunteers are
still needed for a wide range of needs, everything from volunteer
coordinators to trail blazing to plant surveys and much more. Heavy
hauling is needed. The reasons for hauling away the deadwood are
obvious. The thick layers of fallen trees in these bottomlands offer
a ready supply of battering rams to the people or structures
downstream in future floods. Because of the density of fallen trucks
and limbs, fire hazard during drought is also increased. Whether the
region witnesses flood or drought, any extreme weather could have a
negative impact on the surrounding communities.
Trees are essential for
wildlife as sources of food and shelter. When trees are cleared by
harvesting or by storms, water levels and quality are affected. Air
quality is also reduced when the natural filtering system of the
canopy is removed. Shade-loving plants and animals often become the
secondary victims from canopy loss, and when those shade-lovers
weaken and die, invaders like Chinese tallow and Chinese privet move
in.
The Texas Forest Service
is encouraging landowners and natural resource managers to take a
proactive approach to the problems by implementing a reforestation
plan. They also recommend re-establishing protection zones around a
stream, lake, or other body of water. These areas were some of the
hardest hit and steps must be taken to ensure water quality for both
wildlife and nearby communities.
In order to help cover
some of the repair costs and to rally support for the work to
restore Nature Conservancy preserves damaged by Hurricane Rita,
Eastman Gallery is hosting the international nature and wildlife art
competition and silent auction Preserving Nature from January
17 to February 2, 2007, sponsored by the Wildlife Artist
Association. Your 2D and 3D artwork entries – drawings,
paintings on paper, paintings on canvas or panel,
collage/assemblage, durable-media sculpture and fine art jewelry
(nature-related), and photography -- will be juried from Jpeg images
and judged from originals. Jpegs must be sent online or postmarked
no later than October 14, 2006 to be considered.
Distinguished judges for the event will be A.J. Schexnayder and Billie Evans, both
of Houston. The Wildlife Artist Association has posted the entry
form on their website. Please see
www.wildlifeartistassoc.com ,
www.EastmanGallery.com or call the gallery for more details,
telephone - 713-802-9829.
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