"Lost City (Walker Lake)2024Inkjet Print mounted on foam core40" x 50"
Walker Lake, found in the western side of Nevada, was once a large body of water that was an important stop for migratory birds. So much so that the community hosted a loon festival every year to celebrate the thousands of loons that would host the lake. In the last century the tributaries of Walker Lake have been redirected and no longer reach the lake. Consequently, this combined with lower rainfall and hotter temperatures has resulted in the lake losing 90 percent of its volume. It can no longer support significant fish life. It sits as a large corpse in the middle of the high desert, empty and unadorned by loons. I visited the lake on April 19th, the date of the last scheduled Loon festival.
This map illustrates the variability in migration routes for Common Loons. (Image from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Common Loon)