For Immediate Release, April 25, 2017 Contact: Roger Peet, (503) 753-7027, toosphexy@gmail.com

Tierra Curry, (928) 522-3681, tcurry@biologicaldiversity.org

Olivia Conner, oconner@artistcraftsman.com Endangered Species Mural Celebration Slated for Sunday in North Portland Threatened Willamette Valley Prairie Species Featured in National Project PORTLAND, Ore.— The Center for Biological Diversity and Artist and Craftsman Supply on North Lombard will host an event on Sunday to celebrate the latest installment in the Center's national endangered species mural project. The 100-feet-long by 17-feet-tall mural features the streaked horned lark and Kincaid's lupine, both threatened Willamette Valley prairie species. The national project highlights imperiled species that are of special significance to their region. “The diversity of wildlife around us helps define our communities,” said local artist Roger Peet, who spearheads the endangered species mural project and designed and painted this mural with artist Sarah Farahat. “By painting larger-than-life endangered species in cities and towns across the country, I hope to raise awareness of the connection between conservation and community strength.” “Artist and Craftsman Supply is honored to host this mural on our walls and support its presence in our community. The mural offers a message of environmental stewardship through a uniquely bold and celebratory depiction of the lark and lupine,” said Olivia Conner, manager of Artist and Craftsman Supply. What: Endangered Species Mural Project public celebration with music, refreshments and crafts. Bring your own T-shirt for screenprinting. Who: Artist Roger Peet, artists and staff from Artist and Craftsman Supply and scientists from the Center for Biological Diversity. Music by the cumbia band Savila and by folk singer Casey Neill. When: Sunday, April 30, 2017 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Where: Artist and Craftsman Supply, 2906 N. Lombard St Portland, OR 97217 Cost: Free Species Background

Once a common summer songbird of Pacific Northwest prairies, streaked horned larks have lost more than 95 percent of their habitat to urban and agricultural sprawl. The larks need open native grassland without trees and now have only 10 breeding sites. The lark was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 2013 after being on a federal waiting list for protection for 12 years. Adults have black feather tufts that resemble horns, a black throat, a brown back and yellow underparts. They can be seen in grassy fields at Portland International Airport. Kincaid's lupine is a purple wildflower that was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 2000. It blooms from April to June and can be seen at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge near Salem. The lupine is pollinated by bumblebees and is the primary larval host plant of the endangered Fender's blue butterfly. Mural Project Background

The endangered species mural project has installed 10 murals in public spaces around the country. A mural of endangered Columbia River sockeye salmon is currently on display in Concourse D at the Portland airport. Other murals already in place include a mountain caribou in Sandpoint, Idaho; an Arctic grayling in Butte, Mont.; a monarch butterfly in Minneapolis; a jaguar in Tucson, Ariz.; a blue whale and yellow-billed cuckoo in Los Angeles; a watercress darter in Birmingham, Ala.; a pink mucket pearly mussel in Knoxville, Tenn.; a white fringeless orchid in Berea, Ky.; and a Dakota skipper butterfly now at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, originally installed at the Oceti Sakowin water protector camp at Standing Rock. “The endangered species mural project brings together art, science and conservation to foster connections between human communities and imperiled wildlife, so we hope this mural inspires all those who encounter it to want to learn more about saving local endangered species,” said Tierra Curry, a scientist at the Center.