June - Re-Inhabiting Conservation

June 9, 2026

Creature Needs Wins Prestigious Nautilus Book Award!

The Nautilus Awards “celebrate and honor books that support conscious living and green values, wellness, social change, social justice, and spiritual growth. They represent Better Books for a Better World.”

Creature Needs: Writers Respond to the Science of Animal Conservation is co-edited by Creature Conserve Poet-in-Residence Christopher Kondrich, Founder and Executive Director Lucy Spelman, and Writer-in Residence, Susan Tacent with Illustrations by Franco Zacha. Cover artwork by Lisa Erickson. Watch the book trailer co-created by Lizzie Brown and Deanne Fernandes. Available at all booksellers.

BUY THE BOOK

New Exhibition “Re-Inhabiting Conservation”

Our new exhibit is now on view!

Re-Inhabiting Conservation: Using Art to Bring Wildlife Conservation Closer to Home reconsiders the role of artists in wildlife conservation and explores the possibilities of art informed by science. This exhibition, the third in our “Re” series, features work by visual artists and writers from 11 countries and is produced in collaboration with GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.

For all who are unable to view the exhibition in person, we have created an online gallery, organized by our five curatorial themes. Each image below is linked to the corresponding themed online gallery.

Curator, Re-Inhabiting Conservation: Heather McMordie, Director of Curatorial Programs and Exhibits, Creature Conserve.

Curatorial and Production Manager, Re-Inhabiting Conservation: Deanne Fernandes, Creative Content Program Leader, Creature Conserve.

Artwork by Juliana Guerrero Guerrero, Two Ways of Inhabiting a Territory: Colombia Biodiverse

In the context of this exhibition, re-inhabiting - a term borrowed from the Bioregionalism movement of the 1930s - is a call to restore wildlife to native habitats and rethink our relationship to geographic boundaries. It is also a call to rethink boundaries between art and science. It presents an invitation to step out of siloed roles and step up to conservation action. Some artworks in the exhibition draw attention to these barriers and limitations within wildlife conservation, while others point to a hopeful future in which we all become part of the solution. They urge us to actively commit to caring for the animals, habitats, and natural resources around us.

ONLINE GALLERIES & CURATORIAL THEMES

Exhibit Reception & Live Hawk Demo on June 14, 2026

Join us for an afternoon of meaningful conversation, artistic exploration, and community connection at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, beginning at 2 p.m. with a FREE Live Birds of Prey Demo Presented by Hawk Mountain (registration required) followed by a gallery reception for “Re-Inhabiting Conservation” from 3- 5 p.m.

✨ Free and open to the public
🥂 Light refreshments

JUNE 14 EXHIBIT RECEPTION DETAILS

Community Highlights

Scholarship Project

Elizabeth Ellenwood elizabethellenwood is one of our 2025 Scholarship Project recipients.

In her words: “Between Tides is a deeply personal exploration of how we see, learn from, and relate to the shifting edge of land and sea.”

Enjoy the full “Between Tides” spotlight on Instagram at this link.

Wildlife Spotlight

Lex C is one of our Wildlife Spotlight - Illustrated 2026 contributors.

In her words: “I chose to photograph the brown pelican because of its striking facial features, one-of-a-kind diving style, and overall grace and beauty.”

Enjoy the full “Brown Pelican” spotlight on Instagram at this link.

Events & Workshops

Wildlife Spotlight Open Call: Have A Creature In Mind?

Our Wildlife Spotlight series invites creatives to share what makes a creature special—and how it interacts with us and our shared environment—through various forms of media.

We encourage everyone in our Creature Conserve creative community to participate by submitting your work and by sharing these posts with friends and colleagues. Download the PDF with full submission details on our website. Our Creative Consultant, Deanne Fernandes, curates Wildlife Spotlights. Send us your idea via DM to @creatureconserve or write to deanne@creatureconserve.com.

WILDLIFE SPOTLIGHT SERIES OPEN CALL FORM

Asynchronous Learning - Creature Conserve Fundamentals

Each of our six asynchronous Fundamentals Workshops includes a series of brief video recordings paired with a workshop guide. Presented by Creature Conserve Program Leaders and invited experts, they are designed for you to complete at your own pace. Cost: $10 per workshop.

Anything You Want To Share?

We would love to hear from you. You can reach us via email at the following:
connect@creatureconserve.com
media@creatureconserve.com

This newsletter is sent from the land of the First Peoples of Northeastern North America, including the Narragansett Nation.