North Carolina: Where the Buffalo Once Roamed

Once, thousands of years ago, mammoths, ground sloths, and giant camels roamed forests and grasslands that now lie within North Carolina's borders. Only a few centuries ago, buffalo, elk, otters, and colorful parrots were among the abundance of wildlife that could be found here. Unfortunately, the first European explorers and settlers, who marveled at this region's "most pleasant and fertile ground," generally regarded its lush vegetation and array of unusual animals as "merchantable commodities," as inexhaustible assets. It was a view that in a relatively short time resulted in dramatic declines in the numbers of many native species and in the complete eradication or extinction of others due to over hunting and loss of habitats.

Extinction itself is a natural consequence of evolution, but it is a process that has been increasingly misdirected and accelerated by human intervention. "North Carolina: Where the Buffalo Once Roamed," a new exhibition in the North Carolina Collection Gallery in Wilson Library, examines the effects of such intervention. Through displays of various imprints and drawings by John White, Mark Catesby, William Bartram, John James Audubon, and other naturalists, the exhibition also highlights some of the state's extinct, endangered, and threatened species, including the eastern woodland buffalo, Carolina parrot, passenger pigeon, American alligator, and Venus's flytrap. "North Carolina: Where the Buffalo Once Roamed" continues through October 8. For more information, contact either Linda Jacobson or Neil Fulghum at 962-1172. The North Carolina Collection Gallery is open 9-5 weekdays, 9-1 on Saturdays, and 1-5 on Sundays.