Western Snowy Plover by Jonathan Martinez

About the Mural: This pair of Western Snowy Plovers are an outsize presence on The Nature Conservancy's building in downtown Sacramento. The first Audubon Mural Project installation in California’s capital, the mural was commissioned by Audubon California and Wide Open Walls, joining a national network of murals that Endangered Species Coalition partners created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. The landmark environmental law provides crucial protection to animals like the Western Snowy Plover, whose population along the Pacific Coast has begun to tentatively rebound since first being listed as threatened in 1993.

About the Bird: A small, plump shorebird, the Western Snowy Plover nests along shorelines and on beaches where its buff coloration helps provide camouflage. Even so, the birds are highly vulnerable. Development and invasive species have eaten away at snowy plover habitat, and sea-level rise caused by climate change threatens to erode it further. Human activity and dogs can also easily scare the birds from their nests, leaving chicks and eggs unprotected. To give the birds their best chance at survival, a network of Audubon volunteers strives to restore habitat, monitor nesting sites, and share the message to "share the shore." 

About the Artist: Dedicated to painting wildlife exclusively, with every piece, Jonathan Martinez celebrates the natural world as he also calls on us, to protect it. Known as “Art of Endangered,” Martinez’ artistic journey began 10 years ago and since that time, he has stayed true to what has become his signature style: vibrant colors that seem to move, envelop and uplift the beauty of the wildlife he paints. Martinez paints in a variety of mediums. From small acrylic paintings and mixed- media drawings, to large-scale spray- painted murals