Now You See Me are a series of mini stop-motion videos and sculptures I’ve created to keep awareness on both our marine debris problem, climate change and the impacts humans are having on all creatures, especially our endangered ones. Being good stewards of the planet means protecting all species, including humans. I believe the more we learn about the amazing species we share our planet with the better care we will take of them, and it.
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North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis, Critically Endangered
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North Atlantic Right Whale superpower video
North Atlantic Right Whales have been listed on the IUCN red list since it’s inception in 1970, their status was moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered in 2020. There are currently fewer than 350 remaining, only 70 are reproductively active females. There were 12 live calves born in 2023, researchers say there would need to be 50 calves born per year to bring the species back to health.
Right whales are important to the ecology of the ocean. They help keep the marine ecosystem healthy and productive by redistributing ocean nutrients from the bottom to the surface through their digestive waste increasing phytoplankton growth. Phytoplankton accounts for about 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Whales are also sequesters of Carbon, whales accumulate carbon in their bodies during their long lives. When they die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean; each great whale sequesters 33 tons of CO2 on average, taking that carbon out of the atmosphere for centuries. A tree, meanwhile, absorbs only up to 48 pounds of CO2 a year. Of course, the less the number of whales means the less the amount of carbon sink or sequestration, and oxygen it could follow to say. They’re both (indirect) creators of oxygen and fighters of climate change, perhaps we should work a little harder to protect them, just saying…
Threats to North Atlantic Right Whales are all human related; entanglement in fishing and ghost gear, vessel strikes, man made ocean noise disrupting their ability to communicate and climate change. Climate change is increasing the threats to North Atlantic Right Whales; warmer sea temperatures have likely pushed their main prey species further north during summer, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where the whales are more exposed to accidental encounters with ships and higher risk of fishing gear entanglements.
North Atlantic Right Whales are made from marine debris including: a piece from a neoprene wet suit, construction debris, a flip-flop, ghost gear, shotgun wad, milk jug; photographed on a piece of plywood found during a beach cleanup (painted by me).
Not only are my characters made with marine debris, in this video, the soundtrack is too! Whale music created (and graciously shared) by Kevin Souhrada created during our Cuttyhunk lobster gear and debris adventure*, from natural and mechanical sounds of our cleanup. In his words, “I decided that the best way to convey the connection that I felt to the ocean on Cuttyhunk would include the sounds that comprised our living and working space. Inspired by the conservation goals of our work, I decided to imitate the unique sounds produced by marine mammals using only sounds recorded on Cuttyhunk Island. Rather than striving for accuracy to a single species, I decided to try to incorporate sounds inspired by many different species to highlight the diversity of both the island and of marine mammals.” The ocean is lucky to have a defender in Kevin, he will be attending Scripps Institution of Oceanography to pursue a PhD in applied ocean science.
Stop-motion funded in part by a generous grant from The Puffin Foundation, Ltd., thank you!!
Wonder, the North Atlantic Right Whale made from black construction barrier, a volleyball, a milk jug and other miscellaneous plastic funded through a grant from the Mid-Cape Cultural Council, thank you!!
*Cuttyhunk cleanup post coming soon… 24 of us, including 11 Cornell undergrads, spent a week removing 8 tons of lobster gear and other marine debris from the shores of Cuttyhunk Island in Massachusetts.
Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus, status: Near Threatened
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Piping Plover Superpower video
Piping Plovers are small, migratory seabirds found on coasts across North America. Just in case you don’t think their camouflage superpower is cool enough, their legs and beak are orange in the summer, but the legs fade to yellow in the winter, their beaks to almost solid black, and they lose their chest band.
Last spring I photographed some Plover chicks, tiny marshmallows on toothpicks and loved seeing them appear unexpectedly from underneath their mom (or perhaps dad, I’m unsure). They inspired this video. When I was going through the photos, (very long lens, very far away), I honestly couldn’t find the chicks in some of the images until I zoomed way, way in, they blended so perfectly with the sand! Making an inner sole blend perfectly with a piece of wood was beyond my skill, so you’ll have to take my word for it!!
They are named for the piping sound they make when they’re calling, and trust me, when their offspring are misbehaving they certainly have something to say about it!
Threats include mainly habitat loss and destruction, here in Massachusetts both the birds and their habitat are protected. If you see areas protected for shorebirds while you’re visiting the beach, please respect the signs!
Piping Plovers made with marine debris, including: water shoe insole, boat storage bag, 2 litre bottle base, take out container, plant pots, beach protective fence, the background is a piece of found wood.
Stop-motion funded in part by a generous grant from The Puffin Foundation, Ltd., thank you!!
Asher, the Piping Plover sculpture, made on a found skim board with a plastic jug of something labeled ‘fatal’, parking barrier, fork, garbage can lid, construction Typar and Tyvek, spray can lid, volleyball, child’s sandcastle bucket, planter, black construction barrier and miscellaneous plastic funded through a grant from the Mid-Cape Cultural Council. Thank you!!
Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, status: Critically Endangered
Atlantic Hawksbill Superpower(s) video
Hawksbill sea turtles inhabit the tropical and sub-tropical waters of all of the world’s major oceans. They get their name from their hawk-like beak that is perfect for getting foods, like their favorite – sponges, out of crevices and hard to reach places. They are the only species of sea turtle that can survive on a diet consisting mainly of sponges.
Cool facts (other than that sponge one):
Because they eat the sponges, they are protectors of coral reefs! By eating the sponges, they allow space for corals to grow back and reclaim those spaces. They also are the only species of sea turtle that is known to be bioflourescent, most likely because of their diet which includes biofluorescent organisms. They are the first reptile to be recorded with this characteristic.
They can grow to 3 feet, and weigh an average of 180 pounds. They are mostly solitary creatures, and meet other turtles only to mate.
Threats include: hunting for their beautiful shell, also known as ‘tortoise shell’ which has been used by craftspeople for centuries for jewelry, hair accessories and trinkets, though they are protected now, they are still illegally hunted for their shell and food – both their bodies and their eggs. Other threats include pollution, loss of nesting sites, and by-catch.
Marine debris used to create my Atlantic Hawksbill and coral reef/sponges: volleyball, basketball, football, bottle caps, tar paper, house wrap, birdseed bag, memorial flowers and plants, fishing gloves, ALDFG – nets and ropes, dock foam, construction foam, styrofoam, sponges, tape, fishing tote, straws, dog poo bags, balloons, firework, food wrappers, bait bag, earplug, fishing lure, marker flag, glow sticks, toys, beads, reflectors, construction debris and misc. plastics.
Video made possible by Mashpee Cultural Council and Mass Cultural Council, thank you!!
Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta, status: Endangered
Loggerheads can weigh 200 – 350 lbs, and grow to a length of 2.5 to 3.5 feet. Their superpower is they can carry colonies of small plants and animals on their shells which serve as an important habitat themselves. As many as 200 species of plants and animals have been recorded on a single shell; with an average number of individual meiofauna (tiny organisms smaller than one millimeter) of 34,000! This number can be up to 150,000!! Each Loggerhead has it’s own unique community of meiofauna.
Cool facts (other than that one!) :
Their sex is determined by the temperature of the sand the eggs are laid in, a higher temperature produces more females. This will become an issue with climate change, the hotter the planet gets the less male turtles will be hatched.
Their named for their large log-like head.
They are ecologically important messengers, the entire microscopic world that lives on their back can help determine where the turtles have been, much like a satellite tag can.
Threats include: bycatch, climate change, direct harvesting of turtles and eggs, loss of nesting sites, ocean pollution/marine debris, vessel strikes
Marine debris used to create my loggerhead: shoe sole, bottle, bird seed bag, planter pot, shoe heel, shotgun wads and shells, sandal strap; and it’s ecosystem: biofilters, packing strap, sneaker, twine, ghost gear net, balloons and balloon strings, dog poo bags (clean ones, lol, I’m not that dedicated), nip bottle cap, lobster trap pieces, fireworks, zipties, straws, fishing lure, caps, construction debris, dock foam, cap gun bullets, and miscellaneous other plastic; all found during beach clean-ups.
Video funded in part by the Puffin Foundation, Ltd., Chatham Cultural Council and Mass Cultural Council. Thank you!
Eastern Spadefoot Toad, Scaphiopus holbrookii, MA Endangered Species Act listing: Threatened
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Superpowers: Excellent sleepers! Phenomenal Diggers! Explosive Breeders! (I think they might deserve their own stop-motion someday!)
At 1.75 – 2.25 inches, tiny Eastern Spadefoot Toads are primarily restricted to Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, and are one of our states rarest amphibians. They spend most of their life underground in burrows up to 8 feet, and can remain dormant for months in a state of torpor. They are named for the distinctive spade-like projections on their hind legs.
They are explosive breeders, after a heavy rain in the spring, they will emerge in large numbers and congregate in vernal pools or temporary pools from the rainfall. The males form a chorus and sing for their mates, who then release over 2000 eggs which are fertilized by the males. Emergence, singing, and egg-laying take place in just one night. Then they go back to their burrows, presumably to take a nap. Eggs hatch within a few days, and within 2 to 3 weeks in the right conditions become toadlets, construct their own burrows and join the secretive lives of Spadefoot toads.
Unlike any other frog or toad in Massachusetts, their pupil is vertical, maybe some other, as yet unknown superpower. They are very vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Threats include: climate change, habitat loss, human development, roads, agricultural pesticides.
My toad is made with: repurposed wood; and marine-debris: football, dog poo bag, boat storage bag, bottle cap, yellow jug, plant pot, caution tape, misc. plastic
This series of sculptures will shown in various pop-ups the summer of 2023, visit my social sites for dates and locations.
Sculpture, information and pop-ups supported by a generous grant from the Mid-Cape Cultural Council and Mass Cultural Council.
How you can help sea-turtles and/or North Atlantic Right Whales:
- Reduce marine debris.
- Do a beach or community clean-up. Did you know 80% of all marine debris starts off as land based litter? So even if you’re not living on the ocean, trash still finds it’s way there.
- Never let a balloon go. Better yet, see what you can find to use in place of balloons.
- Buy sustainably caught seafood – this often means local.
- Keep turtle nesting areas dark, turn off lights, avoid the beaches when turtles are nesting, if you live near a nesting beach, fill in holes and knock down sand castles before you leave the beach.
- Use less single-use plastics. Plastics contribute to climate change every single step of their journey. Climate change is bad for turtles, their shell eco-systems, and humans.
- Make sure you leave the beach cleaner than you found it, bring all toys and supplies home.
- Drive your boat slowly, vessel strikes are a serious threat to sea turtles and whales.
- When boating near whales, do not approach closer than 500 yards to them.
- Recycle any fishing line/monofilament you may use.
- Discard used fishing gear, ropes, nets, hooks safely.
- Never buy any items made from endangered species.
- Support organizations that are working to protect these vulnerable species through memberships, donations or volunteer hours.
How you can help Eastern Spadefoot Toads:
- Make sure any vernal pools you find are certified by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. “Certified” vernal pools get protected through various state agencies for water quality among other things. Learn more
- Don’t use fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn, those chemicals can end up in vernal pools, making them unsafe for toads and other creatures.
- Don’t litter, because it’s dumb. And mean.
- Get involved in your local government, The Conservation Commission, Planning board and Open Space Committee all make decisions that impact Vernal Pools and other land.
- Talk about the tiny toads. I lived in Massachusetts for over 30 years before I heard of our rare inhabitant. Coolness should be celebrated. And protected.
How you can be a better steward of the planet:
- Everything above, plus:
- Go out and find wonder in this beautiful world of ours. If you love it, you’ll protect it.
- After you find wonder, share that wonder so other people realize how cool and amazing this planet of ours is, and they’ll want to protect it too… send out ripples…
- Remember that we are all part of nature, everything is truly interconnected.
- Use reusable water bottles and carrier bags.
- Packaging accounts for 40% of all of our single-use plastic, be a conscious consumer. On a scale of 1 to this will still be around for 500 years, ask yourself how badly you actually need it.
- Mend, repurpose, thrift, donate your clothing. Don’t buy ‘fast’ fashion. Cheap clothing adds toxins to our water, microplastics to our oceans, is usually made in sweat shops that harm people and communities, think before you buy your clothes!
- Shop local for produce, gifts, everything you can, not only does it support your community, but it protects it as well. Support artists, they make communities more vibrant.
- Volunteer or financially support organizations working to protect our planet. Start at the local level. Here on Cape Cod you can begin with Center for Coastal Studies, Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Mass Audubon, etc. Please feel free to comment with other local organizations.
- Talk about ways people can be better stewards, let them know how they can help. Share videos like mine, follow people out there making a difference and working or volunteering to make this world a better place.
- Vote for the planet every single chance you get.
Video links:
- Loggerhead Superpower
- Atlantic Hawksbill Superpower(s)
- Piping Plover Superpower
- North Atlantic Right Whale superpower
Huge thank yous to:
Whale song graciously allowed use by Kevin Souhrada, as part of the Cornell Cuttyhunk Creative Project. Please visit their site for some amazing projects creating as part of the Cuttyhunk great lobster gear cleanup of 2023.
Cool font on superpower videos thanks to Adam Warren Pro Font.
Felix Blume recorded the cool underwater soundtrack on the Turtle videos
Soundtracks provided by Zapsplat.com for Sea Turtles and Piping Plover video
Information on species from: National Geographic, NOAA, WHOI.edu, World Wildlife Fund, Marine Madness, A Field Guide to the animals of Vernal Pools, among others.
Please walk gently on the earth. Thank you!
