RTPI invites you to join us for a screening of “From Billions To None: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight To Extinction” on November 8. The screening, sponsored by JCC’s Earth Awareness Club and sustainability committee in collaboration with RTPI, begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
At 6 p.m., artist Alberto Rey will give a tour of his “Extinct Birds Project” exhibition which is now on view in our galleries. The exhibition features 18 original works. Rey is a painter, filmmaker, writer, fly fishing guide, distinguished professor and founder/director of a youth fly fishing program. He has been involved in environmental art for the past 20 years.
Artist Alberto Rey photo credit David Moog
“From Billions to None” examines the extinction of the passenger pigeon and its striking relevance to conservation issues today, such as the depletion of shark species worldwide. For centuries, the passenger pigeon, a sleek long-distance flyer, was the most abundant bird in North America. It was hunted to extinction in a matter of decades. On September 1, 1914, Martha, the last passenger pigeon in captivity, died in the Cincinnati Zoo, marking the end of the species.
Passenger Pigeon study skins from the RTPI permanent collection.
To mark the centennial of the bird’s extinction, “From Billions to None” was a key part of Project Passenger Pigeon, a group of over 160 cooperating institutions that mounted outreach initiatives, including the creation of a high school curriculum, museum exhibits, and numerous activities across the U.S. and Canada.
