Maya Lin, an artist best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is making plans for a tribute to what has passed from the earth — literally. Her planned memorial will list the names of animals, birds, and plants that have gone extinct. “The top 10 songbirds we grew up with are in a 40 percent to 70 percent decline. Our oceans are being devastated by overfishing. The landscape we grew up with has been significantly diminished,” she says. “I just want to bring attention to it and give people the idea that you can do something about it.” Lin, who is usually commissioned to do memorials, is instigating this one, and hopes that donors will help with funding. The multi-site, multimedia endeavor — Lin hopes to incorporate everything from the internet to billboards –will be launched on Earth Day 2009.
