Bird species identified in the U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Bird Atlas are behind an award winning new interactive art installation on display through the month of July in Minneapolis, MN. The installation, “Orbacles” by MINN_LAB won Minneapolis’ 2017 Creative City Challenge.
The data visualized in the exhibit come primarily from the Climate Change Bird Atlas, an on-going research project led by Steve Matthews, assistant professor of wildlife landscape ecology in the School of Environment and Natural Resources, who holds a joint position with USDA Forest Service and USDA Forest Service’s Northern Research Station ecologists Louis Iverson, Anantha Prasad, and Matt Peters.
The Atlas models the habitat dynamics of tree and bird species across the eastern United States to learn more about how environmental determinants (such as climate) shape current and future species distributions. This work informs ongoing vulnerability assessments directed toward informing management decisions.
Learn more about how the art installation works in this article written by the Josephine Marcotty with the Star Tribune.