It’s A Winner

The Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo’s Art on the Wild Side hosts a rotating art exhibit program in the Savanna Gallery at the Phoenix Zoo. It is dedicated to inspiring and celebrating conservation through art.

The latest exhibit, Arizona Urban Wildlife: Surviving in a Complex World, opened on February 7, 2025 and will run through June 29. Nearly 150 photographers and artists submitted entries for consideration. Following the jury process, about 50 works were ultimately chosen for the final exhibit.

I was honored to have two of my photographs – This Means You and Urban Homesteaders –juried into the exhibit. At the opening reception on March 7, This Means You was awarded the “Conservation Award” ribbon.

Below are the two accepted photographs of Burrowing Owls with the exhibit captions:

This Means You – Sometimes, surviving in a perilous environment requires help from your friends. Luckily, concerned citizens and public entities have provided small habitats where displaced wildlife have a chance to survive in the wild. And, just in case you didn’t realize it, here’s a gentle reminder from one of the residents.

Urban Homesteaders – The growth of the greater Phoenix area over the last several decades has displaced dozens of wildlife species. Thankfully, public and private efforts have led to protecting some of the natural habitat of Burrowing Owls. Fortunately, these two owls have found a protected homestead in manmade burrows.

With over 1.4 million visitors each year, the Phoenix Zoo has become the state’s most visited attraction after the Grand Canyon. Its membership boasts nearly 35,000 members and has the largest membership base of any cultural institution in the Valley.