We are excited to announce the Conservancy’s new identity.
Our new identity focuses on the Ripley name, which has become synonymous with decades of conservation leadership. The Conservancy’s founder, S. Dillon Ripley, was a distinguished ornithologist, transformative Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and one of the 20th Century’s great Americans. His vision, which turned the Smithsonian into the most dynamic and influential cultural organization in the United States, underlies the work of the Conservancy. Ripley has been known for 20 years as an international non-profit organization that conserves rare and endangered waterfowl from around the world. With one of the largest collections in the United States, our goal is to spark a passion for the natural world through the close exposure of students and visitors to these unique creatures. In so doing, we seek to inspire people to respect and secure the world’s ecosystems and to safeguard biological diversity, which are essential for a healthy planet. Our goal of cultivating a reverence for nature, an understanding of biodiversity, and an enduring commitment to protecting our natural environment, is the narrative on which we are building our organization. To further promote the vision behind Ripley, we are excited to launch our new logo, which features a diverse collection of rare and endangered birds from around the world. To start, we’ve selected the Baer’s Pochard, Grey-crowned Crane, Scaly-sided Merganser, and Red-breasted Goose as representations of the unique and wonderful avian biodiversity found around the world. To learn more about each species and the artists that helped bring them to life, visit our New Identity page. |
Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus)
The Scaly-sided Merganser is endangered in the wild, with a worldwide population of 2,400-4,500 left in the wild. Native to Asia, this species is threatened by residential and commercial development, hunting, habitat modification, and pollution. While protected in the wild, the Scaly-sided Merganser's population is declining. In-place conservation efforts include an Action Recovery Plan, identification of critical habitat area, inclusion in conservation education and awareness programs, and protection by international legislation. |
Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri)
The Baer's Pochard is critically endangered in the wild, with guestimates of a worldwide population less than 250 left in the wild. Native to East Asia and Russia, this species is threatened by residential and commercial development, agriculture and aquaculture, invasive species, pollution, and hunting. While protected in the wild, the Baer's Pochard's population is declining. In-place conservation efforts include an Action Recovery Plan, identification of critical habitat areas, inclusion in education awareness programs, and ex-situ conservation, such as that of Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy. |
Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis)
The Red-breasted Goose is vulnerable in the wild, with an estimated worldwide population of less than 50,000 left in the wild. Native to Eurasia, this species is threatened by oil and gas drilling, hunting, human disturbance, and climate change. While protected in the wild, the Red-breasted Goose's population is declining. In-place conservation efforts include an Action Recovery Plan, identification of critical habitat area, population monitoring, include in conservation education, and protection by international legislation. |
Grey-crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)
The Grey-crowned Crane is endangered in the wild, with a worldwide population of 17,000-22,000 left in the wild. Native to Africa, the Grey-crowned Crane is threatened by agriculture and aquaculture, mining, utility and service lines, hunting, and habitat alteration and decline. While protected in the wild, the Grey-crowned Crane's population is declining. In-place conservation efforts include an Action Recovery Plan, identification of critical habitat area, inclusion in conservation education, protection by international legislation, and ex-situ conservation, such as that of Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy. |
Ripley has selected the Baer's Pochard, Scaly-sided Merganser, Grey Crowned Crane, and Red-breasted Goose as representatives for the logo, which highlight the wonderful diversity of waterfowl found around the world and also points to our mission to conserve waterfowl and wetlands. Each bird featured within the new Ripley logo was designed by a local artist. The Baer's Pochard and Grey Crowned Crane were created by Tony Henneberg and the Scaly-sided Merganser and Red-breasted Goose were created by James Prosek.
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James Prosek is an artist, writer, naturalist, and Yale graduate who published his first book at nineteen years of age, Trout: an Illustrated History (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996), featuring seventy of his watercolor paintings of the trout of North America. Prosek's work has been shown at The Yale Center for British Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC among others.
Tony Henneberg paints in various media, primarily watercolor and oils. Born in Germany, raised in Zimbabwe, and educated in South Africa, Tony grew up in rural settings where he developed a keen interest in the wildlife surrounding him wherever he goes.
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