For the new card deck: The Endangered Ark which will be released for sale in April. A percentage of all proceeds will be donated to animal conservation groups.

The Queen of Diamonds : Spotted Owl


The Northern Spotted Owl, which ranges from Northern California up into Canada, is not yet endangered, but is considered 'vulnerable'. This means that if numbers continue to decline they will become endangered. Though there is an estimated 3-5 thousand pairs left in the wild, less than 100 birds remain in the wild in Canada.

The decline of these birds is caused by a number of factors. One of which includes predation by larger Great Horned Owls, and being pushed out of their habitat by the more adaptive Barred Owl.

By far though the largest contributor to decline in these birds is the loss of appropriate habitat. They are territorial and do not take well to disturbances or fragmentation of their territory (such as logging, new roads, and human development).

A great deal of controversy surrounds this owl, which has unwittingly been sucked into the drama of the logging industry (which could stand to loose up to 168,000 jobs) vs. environmentalists that are trying to protect the owl and its natural habitat.

Painted entirely with Oil Pastels in Corel Painter. Special thanks to everyone that watched me paint this live!


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