Loretta Chen

INITIAL: I created my initial design celebrating the tiger and its role as a keystone species and a regulator of the deer population to maintain the balance of the forest ecosystem

LOCALIZING IDEA, DEER/WOLF: I saw the potential to localize this message to our own town and state, hence the American goldfinch, our state bird, and zeroed in on the deer and wolf relationship that is currently out of balance due to a lack of wolves and resulting overpopulation of deer.
REINTRODUCTION of DEER, EFFECT ON CONSUMERS: This occurred after the reintroduction of deer at South Mountain Reservation, which, without a natural predator, led to the overbrowsing of vegetation and native plants. In turn, other consumers like birds and rodents that rely on the same food sources as deer find themselves with less food and more competition.
WATER: I kept the water motif to suggest how water quality is also affected by overbrowsing, as the vegetation surrounding streams normally traps excess sediment and absorbs nutrients to prevent algae overgrowth
GARDEN: I was further inspired by personal encounters with deer, especially after seeing them constantly ravage my backyard garden. I wanted to bring that reality into the mural, so I added my hand reaching in with a garden shovel and a shocked expression in the reflection—which I’m sure some locals can relate to.
SUBTLE DETAILS:The left most deer confronts the viewer like a deer in headlights, which suggests the threat overpopulation poses to road safety
YELLOWSTONE: Lastly, the subtle silhouette of an elk behind the wolf recalls Yellowstone’s similar issue with the overpopulation of elk. By reintroducing wolves, they were able to keep elk and grazing in check, returning the ecosystem to a healthy balance.
CONCLUSION: Overall, my mural is designed to celebrate and bring a greater awareness to the delicate harmony of our local food web, because from the wolf as an apex predator to the vulture as a scavenger, these cross-species relationships are essential to the health of the ecosystem and our own lives.