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DMNS Diorama - Ivory-billed woodpecker

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  Ivory-billed woodpecker, by John James Audubon .  Ivory-billed woodpeckers ( Campephilus principalis ) presumably are extinct. In this case, it's not local extinction, or gone from the wild but existing in captivity. Extinct means gone forever. The species probably was never especially abundant, and the need for large home ranges meant it occupied vast forested areas which were logged or otherwise cleared. Photo of live  ivory-billed woodpeckers ( Campephilus principalis ) in Singer Tract, Louisiana, 1935. Collectors were instrumental in removing the few remaining birds. As scarcity increased, so did demand, both commercially and in scientific circles. The race was on to collect the last few living woodpeckers. One of many drawers of ivory-billed woodpeckers at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) has its share, with some located in the Birds of North America wing of Standley Hall featuring endangered and ext...

DMNS Diorama - Australia

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One unique diorama at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is in the Australia/South Pacific Islands Hall.  The uniqueness is that I think this is the only diorama that has paintings of people in the background.  This diorama may be called "The 1982 Walkabout Feast"... at least there's a nearby plaque with that phrase. Or perhaps a dinner called a "walkabout feast" was used to generate funds for the renovation. Unclear. The phrase "walkabout feast" probably needs review . I found this reference : "‘Walkabout’ for many First Nations people is a contentious word and considered an archaic colonial term. Its use by non-Aboriginal people is considered inappropriate." There are 3 Indigenous Australians in the background, presumably hunting. There is no context given to indicate Indigenous Australians were involved this representation of their culture, nor is there reference to whether the background includes a depiction of sacred sites. The fl...

Waterfalls

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  Caroline at Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River, Zimbabwe. Waterfalls! Large waterfalls command our attention, with sound and spray. They can thunder to the extent that you can't have a conversation with a person standing next to you. You actually can feel the force of the water cascading over the edge. And small waterfalls are the provenance of poets and lovers. Water trickling down a rock face and dripping into a pool is mesmerizing, inspiring, and calming. No matter where you are, the same physical principles are involved. Water flows downhill. When that downhill is abrupt, you have a waterfall.  . Little Logan River, Logan, Utah. Gocta Falls, Peru, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world. The sound was deafening. Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia. . Hanakapiai Falls is a 300-foot waterfall on the Na Pali Coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Nugget Falls, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska. Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica. Dominica. Great Falls Park (Maryland si...