Joy – Air
Peregrine Falcon, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
casein, 36 x 12 inches, $3,2500.00

The peregrine falcon hovered on the brink of national extinction by the early 1970’s. They were already locally extinct in the eastern United States mostly due to the chemical DDT that lowered the calcium in the falcon’s egg shell, making them susceptible to cracking and ultimately leading to the death of the chicks. They were placed on the Endangered Species act in 1970. Conservation efforts lead by people like Tom Cade, founder of the Peregrine Fund, (a conservation group dedicated to ensuring the longevity and survival of the peregrine and other rare birds internationally) Cade began a captive breeding program in 1975 that bred and released 16 falcons in the Northeast. By 1977 their numbers had tripled, and kept increasing exponentially after that. By 1999, the peregrine falcon was taken off the Endangered Species list and populations have remained stable ever since. The success of Peregrine falcon is through the concerted and focused efforts of many conserva- tionists, biologists and other supporters. Because of their dedicated efforts we can experience the joy of observing the fastest bird in the world at home in its element of the wide open airy spaces.