Florida is home to some of North America’s most incredible birds. Each year thousands of shorebirds and seabirds make their way to our coasts in order to rest and refuel, feed and breed, and raise a new generation of their young. Upon arrival they face obstacles in the form of climate change symptoms on their breeding grounds (intense storms, nests being over washed, less room to breed), chronic disturbance from well-meaning beach goers, and pressure from an increase of predators that often follow the trail of humans leaving waste on the beach. Each year they continue to come back to the beaches to nest because that is what they have done for eons and they have no other place to go.

And each year they face the biggest obstacles during the holidays when people love to spend the weekend at the beach. It is especially on these weekends that dauntless stewards take to the beaches and put themselves between partying beach goers and the nesting birds. This year, one of the beach stewards documented some of the impacts from one of the most difficult holidays for the birds—4th of July weekend. Although personal fireworks are not legal in Florida, they persist and are a staple at most beach gatherings. 

The steward shared a 1 minute clip of a flock of magnificent Black Skimmers, a bird considered Threatened in Florida, repeatedly raising off the ground in the night because of fireworks. In viewing that one minute my heart sank to the ground, because on that evening alone the flock of birds had to endure hours of fear and disturbance. If those stewards had not been on the beach that night, keeping people away from the birds, it’s possible they could have died, all for the sake of entertainment.

After that evening, I changed my 2017 Global Earth Exchange away from my original ceremony and focused on creating art to be dedicated to the birds and the very important people who protect them. Normally I choose to create a bird each year, but as the flowers were laid, a peace symbol began to emerge. I slowly circled around the symbol and tears flowed as I contemplated just how on the edge these species are to extinction. My heart and body felt heavy and fatigued. As I stood over the peace symbol I let my attention be drawn to the purple flowers. I imagined the faces of those stewards on the beach, who put their bodies between reckless human behavior and birds that will likely not survive without our help. Imaging those faces, my tears of grief turned to tears of gratitude. They reminded me that as long as people are willing to show up for others, including other species, there remains the possibility of life being able to survive and thrive. In that moment, a recalibration of my role in humanity emerged. This 2017 Global Earth Exchange is dedicated to the ultra marathon flyers who come to the Florida coastline every year and to the dauntless stewards who protect them. May our efforts make it possible for humans to once again live wisely with other species.