The River Under Our Refuge
The River Under Our Refuge 13X40 Pastel and pencil on paper
Bats need to drink plenty of fresh, clean water, just like humans do.
However, bats have to drink while flying. They skim low over the surface of a body of water and scoop up or splash water using their tongue, tail, wings or feet. This maneuver requires enough space to swoop down, capture the water, and then fly back up again.
Bats in the desert are facing an immediate crisis. As human intervention affects the already scarce natural water supply, bats attempt to drink from livestock tanks. These tanks often don't have sufficient space for the flight path of bats, even those bats with wings evolved for diving into tight spaces. Many bats drown while attempting to drink. Since these artificial sources are now critical to bat survival, conservation initiatives to work with livestock owners on making small alterations to tank size and adding an effective means of escape for bats are now underway.
Townsend's big-ered bat
|
California myotis in Utah drinking from a tank
|
The River Under Our Refuge depicts a imaginary waterfall in the narrow crevice of a desert canyon. The flow of the water creates a stream that cascades over the red desert rocks, eventually forming a shallow pool for all wildlife to safely drink pure water.
The title The River Under Our Refuge is derived from a line in the poem Night Music by Chester Kallman. The poem describes a magical spell that creates a protected space which continually resonates with the sound of a river flowing beneath it. The spell is cast using the herb wolf's-bane as a bat flies overhead.
Canyon Waterwall by John Fowler
|
Excerpt from Night Music by Chester Kallman |
The River Under Our Refuge has a companion, Our Refuge - The Enchanted Forest. Both are based on a work for harpsichord called Mysterious Barricades written by the composer François Couperin in 1717. Although many have tried for centuries, no one has ever discovered exactly what Couperin's intriguing title means.