Facing reality, finally

Posted by: Julia Swan

Yesterday, the Interior Department announced its decision to list the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. This action came as a result of intense lobbying from environmentalist groups, recommendations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a court order from a federal judge to make an immediate decision, and overwhelming evidence that the Arctic sea ice on which polar bears hunt and live is rapidly disappearing.

Although the polar bear is the first species to be granted federal protections because of global warming, the repercussions of the decision on entities that contribute to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere remains to be determined. At this point, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has stated that the polar bear decision will not impact regulation laws, oil exploration, or other activities that can contribute to global warming.

As for the remaining 20,000-25,000 polar bears currently living in the Arctic, the designation of threatened species status upon the largest living land carnivore on earth is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Perhaps the polar bear will join the list of dozens of other once-threatened species that, through concerted human efforts to protect and preserve, have experience a major revival.

- Julia

Photo top left: A polar bear sow and her cubs on the tundra (coastal area, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), photograph by Steven Kazlowski/www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, June 28 – Dec. 31, 2008, Burke Museum, Seattle.

Photo bottom right: Sow with cub on the pack ice of the frozen coastal plain (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), photograph by Steven Kazlowski/www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, June 28 – Dec. 31, 2008, Burke Museum, Seattle.

Reaching out to undergrads

Posted by: Steven Zhang

“Have you been to the Burke Museum before?”

This is a typical question I ask undergraduates during campus outreach opportunities. Among the positive responses I receive, once in a while there are a few “No, I haven’t gotten around to it” or “I’ve been meaning to.” Occasionally, some students say they’re not exactly sure where the Burke is located. As a fellow undergraduate working at the Burke, I understand where these responses are coming from. Before my employment at the museum, I had heard of the Burke many times, through flyers, posters, and articles in The Daily. But like many undergraduates, I simply did not take the extra step to check it out. However, it

is enlightening to see that more and more students are making an effort to come to the Burke. Working here for the past two years, I know this success can be attributed to the Burke events that are geared towards reaching out to undergraduates.

One example of these outreach events is the Burke’s After Hours program, which has been quite successful. Once a quarter, the museum re-opens in the evening, providing live music, big screen movies, exhibit tours, and free food to all UW students! This is a great way for students to experience the Burke in an upbeat and contemporary atmosphere. Some highlights from previous After Hours featured a live DJ, Mighty-O Donuts, Blue C Sushi, and filmmakers Alicia Woods and Jonathan Tomhave. Speaking of which, the Burke’s last After Hours of the academic year is on Wed., May 21 at 7pm. The topic is “Prehistoric Drugs, Sex and Vice!” So stop by and enjoy free pizza and chocolate while learning about the “sexy” culture of ancient societies!

- Steven

Photo: Undergraduate students enjoy sushi and socializing at an After Hours @ the Burke event.

Yes or No, Bush Administration?

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

With the Burke's upcoming exhibit The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, this recent NYT article really caught my attention:
A federal judge on Monday gave the Interior Department until May 15 to come to a decision on whether to give polar bears protection under the Endangered Species Act. The ruling, coming after nearly four months of departmental delays, rejected the government's contention that the case was too complicated to decide before June 30.
Around the same time, President Bush has again recommended drilling in the ANWR region for oil, physically disrupting the polar bears habitat. However, by placing the polar bear on the endangered species list, the government will be pressured to address the issue and take action against climate change.

-Karyn

Everyone loves a good haiku

Posted by: Julia Swan

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Hoh River, one of the nation’s last untouched rivers. This week I’m writing to announce that Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story is now on view at the Burke. I was really impressed by Keith Lazelle’s photographs and was easily able to find a moment of zen in a busy work day by sitting in the exhibit space and listening to the accompanying nature sounds by Emmy-winning recordist Gordon Hempton. I recommend you come check it out—it’s a small, but extremely calming and pleasant photo show.

Keith Lazelle was inspired to become a photographer through a book of photographic translations of Japanese haiku poetry. In the spirit of haiku-loving, I propose a Burke Blog Haiku Contest! Feel free to leave a comment with your own favorite haiku—if you need a prompt, try writing about your favorite outdoor location. I’ll start it off with a brief ode to the Hoh River:

Deep in the mountains
A small river flows—untouched
Makes its way to sea

Ok—your turn!

- Julia

P.S. The talented Karyn Gregory has once again recorded a great podcast. This time it's with Keith Lazelle, talking about his experiences in the Olympics. Click here to listen.

Celebrate the fungus among us!

Posted by: Julia Swan

Mad about mushrooms? Fanatic for fungi? Pleased by portobello? OK, I’ll stop trying to over-alliterate and get to the point. The Burke is bringing the Puget Sound Mycological Society* to the museum this Sunday, May 4 to celebrate the fungus among us. Mushroom Maynia! is a first-time event for the Burke and it should be a lot of fun. Check out the event details on our website.



*Mycology = the study of fungi.
Photo by Patrice Benson

Sensing a bit of Husky pride...

Posted by: Julia Swan

The sun is shining (for now), cherry blossoms are blooming, and Washington Huskies, past and present, are flooding the UW campus. This weekend is the biggest showcase of University of Washington achievements of the entire year—Washington Weekend. Just about every campus department has something exciting going on! Check out the schedule for a full listing of events.

Of course, the Burke Museum is eager to get in on the fun. We’ve decided to offer free admission to all UW alumni and their families for the whole weekend (Friday-Sunday). So for all those UW alum out there who miss the perks of being a student, this is the perfect time to come visit the museum for free! All you need to do is bring your Alumni Association membership to the front desk.

We’ve also got a major event happening Saturday here at the museum. The Plateau Native Arts Celebration is going on from 10 am – 4 pm. We are bringing nine distinguished artists from the Yakama, Cayuse, and Nez Perce nations to demonstrate their crafts. If you liked what you saw in Peoples of the Plateau or This Place Called Home , then this is the perfect opportunity to witness the living arts of the Plateau region. And if you haven’t yet seen these two wonderful exhibits, why not come when you can meet practicing artists in person?

I’ve got my fingers crossed that the nice weather persists and that we have lots of sun for Washington Weekend. Come see the UW campus in all its glory, and while you’re at it, check out the Plateau Native Arts Celebration.

- Julia

Photo by Storms Photographic.

Taking a look Behind the Scenes of the Burke

Posted by: Julia Swan

If you attended Members' Behind the Scenes night last week (or even if you didn't!), check out the photos from the evening. It was a lot of fun! I had the honor of following around our wonderful photographer, which was great, because I got to see just about everything that was going on.

If you see a photo of yourself or someone in your family, please email me at burkepr@u.washington.edu, and I'll send you a copy!

- Julia

All photographs are courtesy Storms PhotoGraphic.