This past weekend, the Burke Museum opened, a photography exhibit Yellowstone to Yukon, that aspires to the summit of all true artistic endeavors, seeking to both inform and inspire. The name refers to the Rocky Mountain corridor extending from northwestern Wyoming to the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to such animals as the elk cow, beaver, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, muskox and many more.

The exhibit centers on the work of German wildlife photographer Florian Schulz, who spent 10 years exploring the Yellowstone to Yukon region and capturing its beauty on film. Interspersed throughout the exhibit are informative and inspiring quotes and random tidbits of information, such as how Schulz had to mimic a cow to get a shot of the elusive and easily frightened swift fox (it remains unclear as to whether Schulz went so far as to dress up in a cow suit or merely shuffled around on all fours).

According to many scientists and conservationists organized by the Y2Y Conservation Initiative (www.y2y.net), this region is in danger of being broken apart into many isolated preserves.

"The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ... is already an island as far as grizzly bears are concerned — an island on which somewhere between 300 and 600 grizzlies are marooned," said David Quammen, writer, biologist and conservationist in a New York Times editorial.

The danger is that animals' natural migration routes could be cut off, leading to isolated populations prone to inbreeding, disease, climate change, food supply failure or competition from invasive species.

Animals who try to move across highways face the threat of possible death. For this reason, many roads in this area now come equipped with wildlife crossing structures, which carry the green expanse over sections of the newly dubbed "People's Way."

Gradual encroachment becomes an even bigger threat once sections of habitat are isolated. Consider the Washington Park Arboretum, next door to the UW, which will likely suffer from the inevitable expansion of the SR 520 bridge. Already, its ecological value seems increasingly limited to being merely a greener "People's Way" and romantic humanoid feeding ground.

Unfortunately, the Y2Y Initiative is a bit short on specifics. Its primary stated mission is to raise awareness and connect experts with other concerned interests. At the very least, though, Schulz's beautiful photography should inspire students not to take this amazing region of the world for granted.

Yellowstone to Yukon will be on display at the Burke Museum through Dec. 31.